STYMPHALOS
Arkadia (Corinthia) Greece.
A town of NE Arkadia in antiquity, but presently in the
nome of Corinthia. It was here that Herakles dispatched
the fabulous birds. Mentioned by Homer (
Il. 2.609) as
an Arkadian town, it was said (
Paus. 8.22.2) to have
been founded by Temenos (Argive influence?). The town
was of little importance in antiquity. Philip V decisively
defeated the army of Euripidas (who had fled) there in
219-218 (Polyb. 4.67-69). It was one of the emperor
Hadrian's benefactions to lead spring water from Stymphalos to Corinth.
The ancient acropolis lay on a promontory extending
out toward the lake. On the highest point there are preserved the remains of a tower in the circuit wall from
which can be observed the walls as they extend out on
the landward side: the course of the wall, with its rounded
towers, can be well followed in the plain, but disappears
on the E under the waters of the lake. Descending
toward the lake, one comes upon a small Temple of
Polias with an altar in front and a nearly square building
abutting it. Continuing down, one enters the agora (?),
partially cut out of the rock of the acropolis. It contains
a peculiar qoppa-shaped structure of ashlar polygonal
masonry (4th c.) in part cut out of bed rock, a spring,
and the remains of another structure (a stoa?) partially
submerged in the lake. Also submerged in the lake are
a Hellenistic temple and a palaestra. Farther along there
are some rock-cut steps leading to the acropolis, a large
dedication base, an exedra, the rock-cut cavea of a theater with some lower seats scattered about, and a rock-cut
seat. The city of Pausanias' (8.22) time lay to the N
near and under the ruined Frankish Katholikon.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Report in
AthMitt 40 (1915) 71-90,
with tables 13-14
I; A. Orlandos in
Praktika (1924-30,
particularly 1924-26; 1925
P);
RE VII (1931) 436-53; R.
Scranton,
Greek Walls (1941) 166; J. Delorme,
Gymnasium (1960) 235-37 and passim; F. E. Winter,
Greek Fortifications (1971) 34.
W. F. WYATT, JR.
