Archaeological Site of Calydon

About the museum

Kalydon was one of the oldest settlements on the right bank of the river Evenos and the largest religious centre of coastal Aetolia. It is linked with a rich mythological tradition, above all with the hunt for the Calydonian boar and the heroes Meleager and Atalanta, and the town and its king Thoas are mentioned by Homer in the Iliad.

The visitable part lies in the south-western part of the town, outside the walled area, and includes the Laphrian sanctuary, the theatre and the funerary heroon. The Laphrion was the second largest sanctuary of Aetolia after Thermos and was dedicated to Artemis and Apollo, who were worshipped in two separate temples; the chryselephantine statue of the goddess was the work of the Naupactian artists Menaichmos and Soidas. The cult goes back to the Geometric period (8th century BC), with its greatest flourishing at the end of the 7th and in the 6th century BC.

The theatre has an unusual shape, with a quadrangular plan and a rectangular orchestra; it preserves 32 rows of seats and could hold about 6,400 spectators. The heroon, about 250 metres east of the Laphrion, is a complex funerary monument on and around an underground vaulted tomb of Macedonian type, with marble sarcophagi in the form of couches; according to inscriptions it was dedicated to Leon, who is referred to as “New Herakles”. After the first excavations in the 1920s, the site has been investigated systematically since 2001.

Highlights

• Theatre with a quadrangular orchestra and 32 rows of seats
• Laphrian sanctuary of Artemis and Apollo
• Heroon with an underground tomb of Macedonian type
• Place in the myth of the Calydonian boar

Operated by

Υπουργείο Πολιτισμού – Εφορεία Αρχαιοτήτων Αιτωλοακαρνανίας και Λευκάδας

Admission & discounts

Free admission: 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September, 28 October, and the first and third Sunday of each month from 1 November to 31 March.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The site is about 9 km east of Messolonghi, with direct access from the Antirrio–Ioannina national road or from the Ionia Odos (exit 3, towards Evinochori). By car, it is 10 minutes from Messolonghi and 30 minutes from Antirrio.

Amenities & dining

On site there are toilets and a car park.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit