A few remains of a small castle at the top of Tartaris which is one of the summits of mount Erymanthos, located to the east of the village Aroania (old name “Sopoto”) of the Kalavryta region in Achaea.

History

It was built by the Francs in the 13th century. It belonged to the Barony of Kalavryta. It was small and it was probably used to accommodate a small unit for the control of the mountain passages.

Its history is not known. The territory passed under the control of the Byzantines of Mystras in 1263 and became a frontiers’ castle until 1318 when the neighboring barony of Avova was also taken by the Byzantines. It remained a Byzantine possession until the Ottoman conquest in 1460.

In the Venetian archives recording locations and castles in Peloponnese, there is a castle named Tartari vel Tradici Grando which most probably is identified with the Castle of Tartaris (the alternative name “vel Tradici Grando” probably comes from Gardiki, a slavic word meaning fort).

Structure, Fortification & Buildings

The satellite view shows a rather small castle with a wall perimeter of around 250m enclosing an area of 3,500 sq.meters. At the top of the hill are the remains of what seems to have been an internal fortification or a keep.

The castle is ruined with its debris lying around at the slopes. The better preserved section is part of the south wall that stands at some height.

Sources