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Pylos

Pylos is famed for being the birth place of Homer's hero, Nestor. A Mycenaean palace discovered there, is said to have been Nestor's. The palace reached the peak of its prosperity in 13th century B.C. In the early years of the 12th century B.C. the palace was destroyed by fire.

In 1939, K. Kourouniotis located the site of the Palace. Professor Carl Blegen of the University of Cincinnati excavated the area.

Pylos was also the site of a dramatic episode in the Peloponnesian War. Thucydides tells us that the Athenian general Demosthenes caused many problems to the Spartans there, before finally capturing Spartan hoplites on the neighbouring island of Sphacteria.

The natural harbour, one of the largest in the world, and the scene of numerous naval encounters including the Peloponnesian Wars described by Thucydides and the Greek War of Independence in 1821 against Turks. The Niokastro (castle) was captured by the Venetians in 1686, by the Turks in 1715, the Russian forces under the Orloff brothers in 1770 (only for a few months), the Greeks in 1821 (during the War of Independence), the Egyptian forces under Ibrahim Pasha in 1825.

The Archaeological Museum of Chora - The museum was erected in 1969 by the Greek Archaeological Society. It includes fine collections of Pottery and small finds coming from cemeteries of the Mycenaean period (1600 - 1100 B.C.).

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