Eltynia

The ancient city of Eltynia or Eltyna or Eltynaia covered the area where the villages of Kounavi, Katalagari, Peza and the hamlets of Zagouriani and Komes are located today. Eltynia was a city-state with its own laws, strict socio-political organisation and an aristocratic system of governance. The noteworthy finds sporadically discovered confirm the ancient city’s position; they include inscriptions, a beautiful epitaph stele depicting a young woman, and architectural remains from the Archaic Period (7th-6th century B.C.) at the Ellinika location. The Geometric cemetery (11th-18th century B.C.) is of particular importance, and part of it has been excavated at Vathiades, while in the same area Roman tombs (2nd century A.D.) have also come to light. Votive relief tiles from the Hellenistic Period (4th-1st century B.C.) have also been unearthed at Skenteri. On the same site there are also the foundations of some buildings as well as a ceramic kiln. Roman buildings have been excavated near the Zagouriana hamlet in the Ellinika location.