Kalydon was one of the oldest settlements on the right bank of the Evinos river and the largest religious centre of coastal Aitolia. It is associated with a rich mythological tradition and the Homeric epics. The wider archaeological site includes the fortified area with the acropolis and important monuments of the city outside the walls. The part of the archaeological site that can be visited though includes the Laphrion sanctuary, the city theatre and the Heroon, which are located in the south-western part of the city, outside the walled area and are directly accessible from the entrance of the site.
The Laphrion or Laphriaion was the second largest sanctuary in Aitolia after Thermos, being spread out over a low elongated hill about 400 m from the main gate in the fortifications. It was dedicated to Artemis and Apollo, who were worshipped in two separate temples in the southern part of the temenos, the larger of which was that of the goddess. Her cult statue was of gold and ivory, the work of the Nafpaktian artists Menaichmos and Soidas; in Roman times it was transferred to Patras along with the worship of the goddess.
The cult in the sanctuary dates back to the Geometric period (8th century BC), while the use of the site is attested from the Mycenaean period. Its greatest heyday is at the end of the 7th-6th centuries BC. Fragmentary traces of worship can be detected to Roman times, although the city was stripped of its inhabitants after the naval battle of Actium. The two temples underwent many phases of construction up to the 4th century BC, which are reflected in their architectural styles and decoration. Parts of them have been found in the excavations, so helping to work out the long history of the sanctuary and assisting the gradual reconstruction of the buildings. Other structures of the sanctuary include a stoa for pilgrims or for the sale of votive offerings, to the northeast of the temple of Artemis, exedrae and structures that probably housed important offerings from various city-states (‘thesauri’ – Treasuries). Very numerous indeed are the offerings of worshippers from the site, providing valuable information about the cult.
The theatre was located on the southeastern foothills of the hill of Laphrion. The monument has a peculiar shape, being quadrilateral in plan, with its cavea having a Π-shaped floor plan, and no internal dividing passages; the orchestra is rectangular, and also without the perimeter drainage channel. It had previously suffered considerable damage during the construction of the National Road. The cavea appears to have been built in two main construction phases; 32 rows of seats remain and its capacity is estimated at 6,400 spectators. The stage structure consists of a proscenium, the stage and side ramps: it dates to the Classical period. The main use of the theatre dates from the 4th century BC to the end of the early Hellenistic period; it continued in use into Roman times.
The Heroon is located about 250 m east of the Laphrion sanctuary; it is a funerary monument of the southwestern cemetery. It is a complex building developed above and around an underground chamber tomb of the ‘Macedonian’ type, which retains inside marble sarcophagi in the form of couches. The above-ground, rectangular part of the monument was erected in a second phase of use over the tomb. It consists of a square area with a garden and a peristyle stoa, reminiscent of a palace, where it is thought that games were probably held. This was overlooked by rooms on the north and east sides. In one of the northern rooms a rich sculptural decoration has been found, depicting gods, heroes and important figures of the city. According to inscriptions, the monument was dedicated to Leon, hailed as the “New Hercules” and who may have been the ancestor of an important family of Kalydon. It is considered most likely that it was founded at the end of the Hellenistic period (2nd-1st centuries BC) and was added to during the Imperial period.
The archaeological site is located approximately 9 km east of Messolonghi and is directly accessible via the National Road Antirrio – Ioannina or via the Ionian Road, from exit 3, towards Evinochori. After the initial phase of excavations that took place in the 1920s, it has been included in new systematic excavation programmes that have been ongoing since 2001 and are being implemented by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Aitoloakarnania and Lefkada in cooperation with the Danish Institute in Athens. Work to protect and enhance the Heroon has been carried out between 2011-2013 by the 36th Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities, in the framework of the project “Protection of the Heroon of Kalydon” of the Operational Programme Western Greece – Peloponnese – Ionian Islands and funded by the NSRF 2007-2013. Finds from the Laphrion sanctuary, the city and the cemeteries of Kalydon, as well as casts of three figures from the Heroon, can be seen at the Xenokrateion Archaeological Museum, while other findings, including the marble busts and heads from the Heroon of Kalydon are exhibited at the Archaeological Museum of Agrinio.
Address: 300 14 Evinochori
Opening hours: 8.30 – 15.30
Entrance: Full ticket: 3 Euros, Reduced ticket: 2 Euros
