Heraea orHeraia (Ancient Greek:Ἡραία) was the most important town ofancient Arcadia on the LowerAlpheius. It was situated near the frontiers ofElis, and on the high road from Arcadia toOlympia. Its territory was called theHeraeatis orHeraiatis (Ἡραιᾶτις).
According toGreek mythology it was said to have been founded byHeraeus, a son ofLycaon, and to have been called originallySologorgus.[1][2] At an early period the Heraeans concluded a treaty with the Eleians for mutual protection and support for one hundred years; the original of which treaty, engraved on a bronze tablet in the old Peloponnesian dialect, was brought from Olympia, and is now in theBritish Museum. This treaty is placed about the 50thOlympiad, or 580 BCE, since it belongs to a time when the Eleians exercised an undisputed supremacy over the dependent districts ofPisatis andTriphylia; and the Heraeans consequently were anxious to avail themselves of their support.
Heraea was, at that time, the chief village among eight others which lay scattered upon the banks of theAlpheius and its tributaries theLadon andErymanthus; but the inhabitants of these separate villages were transferred to Heraea, and a city there was founded by the Spartan kingCleombrotus I orCleonymus.[3] In consequence of their close connection withSparta, the Heraeans incurred the hostility of the other Arcadians, who laid waste their territory in 370 BCE.[4] At a later time Heraea was a member of theAchaean League; and, as Elis was one of the chief places of theAetolian League, it is frequently mentioned in the contests between these two powers.[5] It was afterwards in the hands ofPhilip V of Macedon, but it was restored to the Achaeans.[6][7] Heraea is mentioned byStrabo as one of the deserted cities of Arcadia;[8] but when it was visited byPausanias, it was still a place of some importance. The latter writer describes its temples, baths, plantations of myrtles and other trees along the banks of the Alpheius: among its temples he mentions two sacred toDionysus, one toPan, and another toHera, of the latter of which only some ruins were left.[9]
Heraea is located on theAlpheios river near Agios Ioannis, a few miles south-west of the modern village ofLoutra Iraias, in the municipality ofGortynia in the westernPeloponnese,Greece. The modern municipal unit ofIraia is named after it.
The site of Heraea is fixed by its distance from the mouth of the Ladon, which, according to Pausanias, was 15stadia. The same writer says that the greater part of the city lay upon a gently sloping hill, and the remainder upon the banks of the Alpheius.
Heraea was favourably situated in several respects. Its territory was fertile, and it was situated on the high road from Olympia into the interior of Arcadia. From the north of Arcadia a road led into the valley of the Alpheius, near Heraea; and two roads led into theHeraeatis, one fromMegalopolis, and the other fromMessene andPhigalia, which joined the former close to the town. There was a bridge over the Alpheius close to Heraea, which Philip restored in 219 BCE.[10] The Heraeatis was separated from Pisatis by the river Erymanthus, and from the territory of Megalopolis by the river Buphagus. The famousTabula Peutingeriana shows a road system connecting Heraia with ancientOlympia,Melaneae andMegalopolis.[11]
The wine of Heraea was celebrated in antiquity, and was said to make women fruitful.[12]
The remains of Heraea are visible on a hill west of the village of Agios Ioannis (St. John),[13] bounded on either side by a ravine, and sloping down towards the river. These ruins extend along the summit of the hill and the slope towards the river; but they are inconsiderable, and have for the most part been cleared away in consequence of the fertility of the land.
FamousOlympic champions from Heraia include Demaretos (520 BCE), his son Theopompos (516 BCE), his grandson Theopompos and others.
The cult ofPan in Heraia differed from similar cults in central Arcadia. A famous statue of Pan with the face ofApollo, created byPolykleitos, was located in Heraia and can be seen stamped on gold coins from the region dating to the 4th century BCE. Silver coins of that era representedHera, the city's patron goddess.
The site of Heraia was excavated by archeologistAlexander Philadelpheus in 1931. Today, the site remains generally closed to the public.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Heraea".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
37°36′43″N21°51′23″E / 37.612056°N 21.856527°E /37.612056; 21.856527