The ancient Greek city of Thouria, located in the southern Peloponnese, thrived throughout antiquity.
Thouria is among the few cities which managed to thrive and become important centers all by themselves in the wider region, despite being under the shadow of nearby super-powers (in this case Sparta).
Despite its successes, and although it was mentioned frequently in ancient texts, the remains of Thouria were only discovered in the first decade of the 21th century.
Located on the outskirts of the modern-day city of Kalamata in the county of Messenia, Thouria was at its peak of development during the classical period of ancient Greece.
Archaeologists discovered Thouria in 2007
Incredibly, however, the existence of its ancient ruins was not even known until very recently.
The city of Thouria was mentioned by both Pausanias and Strabo, two of ancient Greece’s most famous geographers.
Thouria’s ancient theater is oriented toward the west, overlooking the vast plains of Messenia, known in ancient times as “Makaria,” meaning the “blessed and blissful land.”
In the distance, to the southwest, one can see the beautiful sea of the Messenian Gulf, which ancient Greeks were called “Thouriates,” most likely due to the city of Thouria.
Archaeological works continue to this day in Thouria, where archaeological students from around the world come to practice their profession and learn more about their science and this important ancient Greek region.
A small town bearing the name of Thouria, with a population of approximately 3,000 people, exists to this very day near the ancient ruins.
It is a town that links together thousands of years of Greek history in this beautiful southern corner of Greece.