METHONE (city in Messenia)
Ancient city in Messenia, Greece
- Kind of place
- City
- Region
- Messenia
- Where
- 36.82° N, 21.71° E
Methone is a settlement in Messenia, located continuously next to Acritas, where the Messenian Gulf begins. Pliny, Nat. Hist. 4.7 ¶1 It is said Agamemnon's sailors cursed this town to never stop building walls. Strabo 8.6.15
Described in the sources
Methone is situated near the city of Asine. Strabo 8.4.5 Methone is situated near the city of Thuria. Strabo 8.4.5 Some writers identify the ancient city of Aepeia with Methone. Strabo 8.4.5 A peninsula with the same name as the fortress also exists in this area. Strabo 8.6.15 The inhabitants of Methone were described as good archers who provided seven ships for the expedition. Iliad 2 ¶57
Stories and history
Some copies of Thucydides use the name Methone for this specific location. Strabo 8.6.15 Theopompus claims Macedonians, not this town's people, refused Agamemnon's levy. Strabo 8.6.15 The name Methone is shared with a city in Macedonia, a confusion that Demetrius of Scepsis believed the name caused. Strabo 8.6.15