Hereneia, Megaris | DJI Avata 2 FPV Drone Tour of Ancient Greece

Описание: Ancient Ereneia (Ἐρενεία) appears in Pausanias's Description of Greece (Book 1.44.4–5) as one of the places within Megarian territory. Unlike Megara's coastal ports—Nisaia, Pagai, and Aigosthena—Ereneia lay inland in the mountainous terrain that formed the natural frontier between the Megaris, Attica, and Boeotia.​

The earliest modern attempt to locate Ereneia came from G. Sarres in 1910, who proposed Mount Pateras (the high ridge separating the Megaris from Boeotia) based on Pausanias's description and topographic analysis. This interpretation placed Ereneia along the strategic route connecting Megara with Thebes through the northern highlands.​

More recent archaeological surveys have identified a substantial 4th-century BC fortress near modern Vilia/Agios Georgios, on a shoulder of Mount Pateras overlooking the borderlands. This fort features round rubble towers—an architectural form typical of late Classical Greek military construction—and defensive walls following the natural contours of the ridge. The towers defend approaches from the Megarid side, indicating the site's role in contested frontier territory.​

The fortress's position fits the historical context of the Megaris as a buffer state squeezed between powerful neighbors. Throughout the Classical period (5th–4th centuries BC), control of the Megaris shifted repeatedly: Athens occupied Megara and its ports during the First Peloponnesian War (460–445 BC); Sparta reasserted control thereafter; Athens again seized Nisaia in 424 BC; and during the 4th century BC, the region became a battleground between Theban, Athenian, and Spartan spheres of influence.​

The round towers and robust construction suggest the fortress was built during the period of Theban hegemony (371–362 BC) or shortly after, when the Megaris sought to defend its northern frontier from Boeotian expansion. Such fortifications were part of a broader defensive network including signal towers and watch posts that enabled rapid communication of threats across the mountainous terrain.​

However, definitive identification of this fortress as ancient Ereneia remains uncertain. The site has yielded limited epigraphic evidence, and no inscription naming Ereneia has been discovered. The fortress may have been an unnamed military installation, while Ereneia proper could have been a nearby village that left fewer material traces.​

Pausanias provides no details about Ereneia's size, cults, or economic activities, suggesting it was a minor settlement—perhaps a kome (village) or phrourion (garrison post) rather than a substantial polis. Its primary function likely revolved around agricultural exploitation of the upland valleys and defense of the mountain passes.​

By the Hellenistic and Roman periods, when Megara's political and economic influence waned, Ereneia disappears from historical records. The fortress was likely abandoned as the Roman peace eliminated the need for extensive frontier defenses, and population consolidated in lowland settlements with better access to trade routes.​

Today, the fortress ruins near Vilia remain accessible to hikers exploring Mount Pateras, where the round towers and circuit walls testify to the strategic importance of this contested highland borderland—whether or not it bore the name Ereneia in antiquity, it clearly played a vital role in the defensive geography of the ancient Megaris.

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