The Dymaean Wall (Greek: Τείχος Δυμαίων) or Kalogria Castle (from the nearby beach of Kalogria) is a prehistoric acropolis in western Achaea, Greece. The acropolis remained in use through the Middle Ages by the Byzantines and the Venetians, mainly.

Location & Strategic Scope

The fortification is 35km west of the city of Patra, near the village of Araxos, at the NE shore of the lake Strofili, which by the way it is a unique place.

History

It was built in the Mycenaean period, probably around 1300 BC, but human occupation of the site started already around 3500 BC. It was deserted in the 18th century. During World War II it was used again by occupying Italian forces, who built a number of military installations on the site and damaged the prehistoric fortifications.

It was named the Dymaean Wall after the nearby ancient city Dyme. During the war between the Achaean and the Aetolian Leagues (220–217 BC) it was seized by king Philip V of Macedon.

In the lists of the Frankish castles there is a certain Castle of Fanari of Malta , which is probably the wall of Dymaion that was also used by the Byzantines.

Structure, Fortification & Buildings

The castle's walls were cyclopean. They measured 200 meters in length, ten meters in height, and five meters in thickness. Various modifications and reinforcements were built from time to time, particularly during the Venetian period. The wall is still preserved to some extent today, and repair work is done from time to time.

The hill is protected from the W and SW by the natural fortification, offered by the steep slope and, in antiquity, the sea, which today has been changed into swamps by the alluvium of the river Larissos. The other sides of the hill are protected by the Mycenaean cyclopean wall. The access was made from the main gate in the southeast, the middle gate in the north and the, now destroyed, northwest gate.

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