A town on the W coast of the Peloponnese, associated in Greek tradition with Nestor, a Greek chief at the time of the Trojan War. Excavations have revealed a large, unfortified Mycenaean palace there.
See also Pylos Ilias and Pyrgos Trifylias, archaeological sites in Ilia. For the Greek battle, see Battle of PylosCoordinates: 36°54′N 21°41′E
| Pylos (Πύλος) | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 36°54′ N 21°41′ E |
| Country | Greece |
| Prefecture | Messinia |
| Province | Pylia (capital) |
| Population | 5,402 source (2001) |
| Area | 143.91 km² |
| Population density | 37.54 /km² |
| Elevation | 3 m |
| Postal code | 240 01 |
| Area code | 27230 |
| Licence plate code | KM |
Pylos (Greek Πύλος), formerly Navarino, is the name of a bay and a town on the west coast of the Peloponnese, in the district of Messenia in southern Greece. The town Pylos has 2,561 inhabitants, the municipality of Pylos 5,402 (2001).
In 1827 the bay of Pylos was the site of the Battle of Navarino during the Greek War of Independence.
The Name of Navarino
In the middle ages, Pylos was named Avarino (Αβαρίνος) or Navarino, perhaps after a body of Avars who settled there, or perhaps a Slavic name.
The Bay of Pylos
Pylos' bay is formed by a deep indenture in the Morea, shut in by a long island, anciently called Sphacteria or Sphagia (modern name Sfaktiria), famous for the defeat and capture of the Spartans, in the Battle of Pylos during the Peloponnesian War, and yet exhibiting the vestige of walls, which may have served as their last refuge.
The Town of Pylos
The Historical Town
Pylos is the supposed birthplace of the venerable Nestor, the king of Pylos—standing upon a promontory at the foot of Mount Temathia, and overlooking the vast harbour of the same name as the town.
The Modern Town
Pylos has a school, a lyceum, a gymnasium, a church, banks, a post office, a port which was expanded in the 1990s and a square (plateia) called the "Three Admirals' Square" (see Battle of Navarino).
The western end of Greek National Road 82 begins in downtown Pylos.
The Environs of Pylos
The soil about Navarino is of a red colour, and is remarkable for the production of an infinite quantity of squills, which are used in medicine.
The remains of Navarino Vecchio, or ancient Navarino, consist in a fort or castle of mean construction, covering the summit of a hill sloping quickly to the south, but falling in abrupt precipices to the north and east.
Bronze Age Pylos
Bronze Age Pylos was excavated by Carl Blegen in 1952. Blegen called the remains of a large Mycenean palace found there the "Palace of Nestor", after the character Nestor, who ruled over "Sandy Pylos" in the Homeric poems. Linear B tablets found by Blegen clearly demonstrate that the site itself was called Pylos (Mycenaean Greek Pulos, Linear B Pu-ro) by its Mycenean inhabitants.
Classical Pylos
The site of classical Pylos was probably on the rocky promontory now known as Koryphasion at the northern edge of the bay of Pylos.
Communities
Ampelokipoi Glyfada Iklena Kallithea Kynigos Mesochori Pappoulia Pidasos Pyla Pylos ChomatadaHistorical population
| Year | Communal population | Change | Municipal population | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 2,594 | - | - | - |
| 1991 | 2,014 | -580/-22.36% | 5,340 | - |
| 2001 | 2,104 | 90/4.47% | 5,402 | 62/1.16% |
User Comments Add a comment…