Pallantion

The ancient town of Pallantion, according to the myth founded by Pallas, one of the sons of Lykaon, was of particular importance in later antiquity because of the mythical connection with ancient Rome. According to mythology (elaborated by Vergilius among others), the Arkadian king Euander, a son of Hermes, moved to Italy with part of his people, and moved to the place of later Rome, on the hill called Palatinus ( so-called after the Arkadian Pallantion). The worship of Heracles-Hercules in later Rome was traced back to this Arkadian connection, as well as the festival of the Lupercalia, where a connection with the Latin word for “wolf” lupus should refer to the Arkadian festival called Lykaia. After the founding of Megalopolis, the town was largely abandoned. Although it remained inhabited for a long time, it again regained the status of a city and exemption from taxes even under Emperor Antoninus (Pausanias 8.43.1). The ancient remains (scarce) on the acropolis consist of 3 temple floor plans, 2 of which are archaic and barely recognizable as such, but one – beautifully situated in the surrounding forest – clearly classical. The lower city is currently the subject of an (emergency?) Excavation. The new highway greatly complicates the visit to the site.

 

Photos on the right the acropolis of Pallantion, aerial photographs of the floor plan of the archaic temple (2 x), below, the foundations of the classical temple.