Summary: | City of southern Argolid with Hippodamian city grid. |
Type: | Fortified city |
Region: | Argolid |
Periods:
Archaic
Classical
Physical:
Halieis is located on the E shore of a naturally sheltered, S-facing bay at the S tip of the Argive peninsula. Originally (in the 8th-7th century B.C.) the acropolis and the small settlement at the shore had independent fortification walls. Probably in the 5th century B.C. the town expanded to the E and S up the slopes of the low acropolis hill, and the later city walls enclosed those of the acropolis. In the Classical period the city had at least 4 gates and the walls also enclosed a small fortified military harbor. The streets, houses and workshops of the expanded city were organized on the Hippodamos grid system and there was a separate industrial quarter SE and uphill from the town's center. A Sanctuary of Apollo (now under water) is located ca 500 m NE of the town and contains a temple, altar and stadium.
Description:
The earliest evidence for occupation at the site dates to the Proto-Geometric period: by the 7th century B.C. there was a small fortified settlement on the shore. Early in the 5th century B.C., refugees from Tiryns settled at Halieis and the town expanded in size. During the Classical period Halieis was a pawn in the endless Athens-Sparta conflict and suffered attacks from one side and then the other. The site was abandoned near the end of the 4th century B.C., although there was some minor reoccupation in the late Roman period.
Exploration:
Excavations in 1962 and 1965-1968 by the University of Pennsylvania directed by M. Jameson and in 1970-1974 by Indiana University directed by W. Rudolph.
Sources Used:
Other Bibliography: