Ancient Kleonai

Historic site · Peloponnese

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Cleonae or Kleonai was a city in ancient Peloponnesus, described by writers of the Roman period as a city of Argolis, but never included in the Argeia or territory of Argos, in the flourishing period of Greek history. Cleonae was situated on the road from Argos to Corinth, at the distance of 120 stadia from the former city, and 80 stadia from the latter. There was a narrow pass through the mountains, called Tretus, leading from Argos to Cleonae. Cleonae stood in a small plain upon a river flowing into the Corinthian Gulf a little westward of Lechaeum. In its territory was Mount Apesas, now Mount Phoukas, connected with the Acrocorinthus by a rugged range of hills. Both Strabo and Pausanias describe Cleonae as a small place; and the former writer, who saw it from the Acrocorinthus, says that it is situated upon a hill surrounded on all sides by buildings, and well walled, so as to deserve the epithet given to it by Homer in the Catalogue of Ships in the Iliad – ἐϋκτιμένας Κλεωνάς. Statius also speaks of "ingenti turritae mole Cleonae."

More places nearby: Temple of Hercules · Αρχαίες Κλεωνές Αγροτική Έπαυλη · Statue of Theodoros Kolokotronis, Dervenakia · Nemea Early Christian basilica · Zygouries archaeological site · Historic sites · Peloponnese