AMPHICTYONI OF KALAVREIA ...

One of the ancient amphicyionies was the one of Kalavreia, who flourished during the 7th century B.C., at the sanctuary of Poseidon; the ancient Kalavreia, where today the island of Poros is found.

The geographer Stravon, during the 1st b.C., in his description about the sanctuary of Poseidon in Kalavreia reffers that, with that as religious centre, seven important towns of Argosaronicos, Athens, Aegina, Epidavros (Old Epidavros today), Ermioni, Nafplia (today is called Nafplio), Vrasies of Thyreatida (or Prasies, the today town of Leonidio of Kynouria) and Minyeios Orhomenos, founded amphictyony, with Poseidon Kalavreatin as protector, god of the large winds for the sailors, which was called Amphictyony of Kalavreia.

The chronic scope of Amphictyoni of Kalavreia, meaning whether or not its composition is reduced at the end of Mycenaean period, or if it coincides with the time of the great power of Feidon, the famous tyrant of Argos (around the 650 B.C.) is a problem.

New information from the arcaeological research at the wider area of Poros figure another scope that places the beginning of the Amphictyony of Kalavreia at the beginning of the 12th century b.C.

So, the Amphictyony of Kalavreia seems to have its ulterior roots at the league of the Dryopican centres- their number is unknown - of Argosaronicos during the restless period of the beginning of the 12th century B.C., with pre-Doric Apollo as Protector God, whose worship centre was found at the rocky island of Modi.

The visitor of the rocky island in question will be amazed by the expansion and the organization (walls, building consistency, street layout, irrigation by natural lacunae and wells) of a vigorous settlement of the after-Helladic period. That insular nation seems to have developed round an important devotional centre (the one of Apollo), which was chozen as base of such an extented league of towns - from Voiotia and Attica until the eastern coastline of Lakonia and the cove of the Argolican Bay.

The amphyctionican institution sets in much later, during the 7th century B.C., with the participation of the seven Dryopican towns that referred to Stravon, in order to confront Feidonos' plans of expansion. During that period, Poseidon has come to the fore into a master god of the Dorians and his sanctuary in Kalavreia - very close to the abandoned sanctuary of Apollo in Modi, perhaps “untrodden” during the period after the Mycenaean years - is made pan-Doric tribal and religious centre, base of Amphictyony of Kalavreia.

Amphictyony of Kalavreia soon is deteriorated, so as to fall in political obscurity during the Classic period, without having important participation at the Peloponnesian War and afterwards. As far as its reappearance is regarded, with the nod of the Macedonians during the Hellenistic period, its role will be only decorative until the years of Stravon (1st century b.C.).

Epigraphic findings revealed its religious character, as one ceremonial combination of the Driopes of Argosaronicos, according to their arrival at the sanctuary of Poseidon Kalavreatou, until that was destroyed by pirates of Kilikia in the middle of that century.