PELLANA

Pellana of our days is built at a hill which consists an extension of the mountainous and imposing bank of Taygetus while south and mostly at the eastern, softer foldings of the ground, are coming down and are spreading at the fertile down country of the "Lacedaemonian concavity".  This down country is fertile and full of water.  The river of Eurotas is coming down from the N.W. and is reinforced at it's running through by rich springs.  At the same river are descending the waters from the drinking fountain of Pellanida, which originates by the root of the hill where nowadays Pellana is placed.

At the ancientry the strategic position of the area had as a result it's fortification by the residents of Sparta at the Hellenistic era (3rd century A.C.) by constructing the so called "rifle pit ", a large fort, remains of which are identified south of today's village of Pellana. 

On the 4th century B.C. the town was a base for Agisilaos against Epaminondas.  Xenophon denominates it "Pellini", while Stravon talks about a Laconian village called "Pellana".  Plutarhos also denominates the town as Pellini.  From the area of Pellana are originating tambours and conch vessels of the ancient years and a pillar from an after Roman building.

Tindareo as mythology states resorted in Pellana because his brother Ipokoontas stole from him the throne of Sparta.  Tindareo with beautiful Linda gave birth in Pellana (and not in Pefnos or Thalami as Messinians claim), to the twin brothers Kastoras and Polideukis who remained known to history with the characteristic name "Dioskouroi".

He also had two more daughters with Linda, who were the most beautiful of the world and were Helen and Klitemnistra.  Dioskouroi soon left with their white horses their land and their father who was left without inheritors.

He gave in marriage Klitemnistra with the noted and powerful king of Mikines Agamemnona who later became head of the campaign against the Greeks in Troy.  His other daughter Helen gave her in marriage with Menelaos, the king of Sparta.  The beautiful Helen because of her beauty became the cause of the Troic War as Homer nicely narrates. 

Tindareo never stopped recalling the throne his brother took from him.  He lied in ambush and waited for a chance to get it back and not much time passed since that happened.  According to mythology Hercules also passed from Pellana along with Kifeas and helped Tindareo to get back his throne and punish Ipokoontas.  The battle was tough and stubborn.  Hercules was injured during this and was cured by Aesculapius the well-known doctor of the ancient years.  In order to show his gratitude Hercules established at his honor the temple which was located next to the spring of Pellania, an incident which is confirmed by the tour of Pausanias.

The ancient town of Pellana seems that during the historical years must have been an advanced post of Sparta, since it was located at the only even position towards Arcadia.  One of the most important avenues that connects Sparta with Arcadia, Elia and generally Western and Northern Pelloponisos was the avenue of  Sparta - Megalopolis.  This road starting from Sparta was moving towards North and was following the right shore of Eurotas.  It was crossing the whole upper valley of the river.  As Pausanias states on that road and at a distance of thirty stages from Sparta used to be the statue of "Shame".  Continuing that road led to the city of Pellana.  That road was used by Spartiates at their exodus from Laconia.

The progress and development of Ancient Pellana was keeping up with the growth of Sparta since as we already have mentioned it already pre-existed and consisted an important army centre of it.

With the declination of Sparta we also have the declination of Pellana.

In 369 B.C. during the invasion of Thiveoi in Laconia, Arcades exploited the fact and extracted it from the domination of Spartiates.

During the following years Pellana continues it's progress through history though without it's former glory.  From different evaluations seems that Pellana stopped existing a few years after the fall of Istanbul.  During the years of Turkish Rule and while Pellana doesn't exist anymore new villages like Georgitsi start to appear in Taygetus.

This is caused to the fact that people were resorting at the mountainous places because of the persecutions, plunders and invasions by the Turks.  They were resorting there to resist and organize the struggle against slavery.  Eventhough during the Turkish Rule Pellana didn't exist, at the large map of Rigas Feraios is mentioned the town with the name "Pellana".

After the liberation the Municipality of Pellani was created with Georgitsi as the base.  The residents of Georgitsi with the passage of time started constructing huts at the begging of the fertile down country of Pellana so they would be close to their fields.

Thus how the creation of the settlement Georgitsi's Kalivia was created.

In 1912 with the Royal decree of 31/8/1912 of the previous Municipality of Pellana was created the village Kalivia.  In 1932 with the D law of 27/11/1932 Kalivia were renamed to Pellana.

In 1940 during the invasion by the Germans the village passed the great evils of war.

As seems from the elements of the enrollments until the beginning of the decade of 1940 we have a rise of the population at the village.  Though later we note exactly the opposite effect.  The evils of war, hunger and hardships led our patriots at the sad phenomenon of the inner and outer migration.  Unfortunately this phenomenon is noticed even on our days, mostly of inner migration.

Topography of Ancient Pellana

Undeniable witnesses of the glorious history of the village are the archaeological findings and the monuments which were brought to light by the excavations that took place from time to time.  The position of ancient Pellana is located N.E. of today's village.  It occupied the area from the "White spring", a fountain of our days and was extending up to today's location of the hill "Oldcastle" and "Pelekitis" where are found pieces of colored and earthen vessels.

The report by Pausanias during his traveling, constitutes an irrefutable proof of that position.

The first who mentions Pellana during the earlier years is the archaeologist Lik, who detected remains of walls of a Greek city, in 1805,  at the rocky hill which is raised at the north part of the fountain.  He specifically mentions: "Here are found remains of a wall from a Greek city".  Today the geographical spade and the erection of houses at the slope of the hill continuously eliminates the monuments.

The inspector of antiquities Romaios was the first  who digged in Pellana and later   continued in the year 1926 T.Karahalios, who was also an inspector of antiquities.  During those excavations at the position "caves", were found two tombs carved at the rock, on the west side of a lower height, with a length of 100 metres.  There were found vessels which are kept at the archaeological museum of Sparta.  At the floor of the room were found four carved tombs which contained scattered bones.  For that reason the archaeologists concluded that the graves hosted many deads and that they were plundered at older times.  The last conclusion is reinforced by the fact that the findings were scattered at the floor of the room.   

The name "Pellana"

The ancient town

The temple of Aesculapious

The temple of Aesculapious was glorious at the years of Pausanias in Pellana.  It is located South of the spring of Pellanidos.  From it today are saved fluted tambours and near the spring were found vessels and idols offerings either to Aesculapious or at some Nymph. 

The cemetery of Mycenae

The castle of Gkouzoulides

In Pellana stands the Castle of Gkouzoulides that is dated over 200 years old and we get that conclusion by the loopholes that exist at the walls.  They were used as defense against various invaders.  They are internally invisible and have dimensions of 0,50 x 0,50 with a sufficient optical field.  

Agios Prokopios

At the location of Agios Prokopios at Pellana, the farming spade discovers daily creations of walls mostly with bricks abundant earthen vessels, small lamps and water conductors by earthen flat stones.

The church of Zoodoxos Pigi ("The source of life")

It is a country chapel a bit outside the village of Perivolia, which is built inside a cave and is constructed as said during the years of the Turkish Rule.  At the back side of the church is a large hole in which are found a few bones possibly belonging to a hermit who used to live there.  It was also used as a shelter of the rebels during the  German invasion.  At the Municipality of Pellana or at "the villages of the root" as it is named, someone can experience hospitality.  The kind and hospitable residents in combination with the virgin, natural environment that create the conditions of a pleasant stay.  Here the walk in the forest gets a special meaning as also the visit at the coffee-houses or the taverns of the villages.  The atmosphere is such that the anxiety and noise of the big city are left behind at the moment of arrival.