Dyme

The city of Dyme can be identified with a very high degree of probability with Kato Achaïa, where an inscription has been found mentioned by Pausanias in discussing the city of Dyme. The most remarkable thing about the (very meager) remains of classic Dyme is the city wall, a wall built of unbaked clay tiles, built on a low foundation of natural stone, and protected from rain by a parapet of wood on top of the entire wall. This wall (one of the very rare examples of this way of building on the Peloponnese) is still visible in a few places in the modern city. Furthermore, there are scattered some antique remains, such as those of a Roman bathhouse.

Photos above from left to right. Remains of the city wall of Dyme under a (temporary) roof of plastic to protect the tiles of unbaked clay against the weather. Ceramic oven under shelter.

Mycenean fortress at Dyme

The so-called Dymaean Wall of Polybius (4.59.4) is a classical fortification built on (considerable) Mykean remains a long way west of Dyme. Although no remains of a palace or administration have been found in linear B, it is very likely that the entire area will be controlled from this center (the only Mycenaean center with Cyclopic walls in north-west Achaia). The cyclopic fortification was partly restored and rebuilt in the classical period and later. A few Mycenaean tholos graves lie at the foot of the hill.