Messene - Sights

The hill of Peristeria is located about 8 kilometers to the northeast of Kyparissia. Excavations on the hill were carried out during the 60s and the 70s under the supervision of the Archaeological Society of Athens. Three Mycenean tombs were excavated, one of which has been restored. The largest of the vaulted tombs is preserved in excellent condition. The wealth of findings and the size of buildings render the area of Peristeria as one of the primary centers of the First-Mycenean Civilization. Due to this fact, it is referred by archaeologists as the “Mycenae of the Western Peloponnese”.

Remains of a palace, residences belonging to the first Mycenean Era and part of a fortification wall which surrounded the hill of Peristeria in the south, were also uncovered. A fourth domed tomb was found on a field, west of the hill. The findings testify that the hill and its buildings had been continuously inhabited from the Middle Hellenic period (2050-1680 B.C.) to the end of the Mycenean period (1680-1180 B.C.). Remains of the early Roman times (37-68 A.D.) have also been discovered. The findings from the excavations are kept in the Museum of Chora.

Peristeria emerged as a powerful administrative center in Western Peloponnese since the first Mycenean period (1500 B.C.) and before the flourish of Nestor’s Palace. The vaulted tombs with their beehive-shaped burial chambers are the oldest in mainland Greece. They all have a typical circular chamber with a corbelled roof. The vault can be accessed by a stone-lined passage. Although they have been plundered during antiquity, the preserved findings bear witness to the wealth of the inhabitants as well as to the commercial relations with Minoan Crete. Moreover, they provide information on practice of domestic worship but also on the social structure of the Myceneans. After the decline of Peristeria, around 1400 B.C. another Mycenean center developed in the area of Mouratiada which is identified with the Homeric Amphigenia.