LETRINI
Eth.
LETRINI (
Λέτρινοι, Paus.;
Λετρίνα, Xen.), a town of Pisatis in Elis, situated near the sea, upon the Sacred Way leading from Elis to Olympia, at the distance of 180 stadia from Elis, and 120 from Olympia.
It was said to have been founded by Letreus, a son of Pelops. (
Paus. 6.22.8.) Together with several of the other dependent townships of Elis, it joined Agis, when he invaded the territories of Elis; and the Eleians were obliged to surrender their supremacy over Letrini by the peace which they concluded with the Spartans in B.C. 400. (
Xen. Hell. 3.2. 25,
30.) Xenophon (
l.c.) speaks of Letrini, Amphidoli, and Marganeis as Triphylian places, although they were on the right bank of the Alpheius; and if there is no corruption in the text, which Mr. Grote thinks there is (
Hist. of Greece, vol. ix. p. 415), the word Triphylian must be used in a loose sense to signify the dependent townships of Elis. The
Λετριναῖαι γύαι are mentioned by Lycophron (158).
In the time of Pausanias nothing remained of Letrini except a few houses and a temple of Artemis Alpheiaea. (Paus.
l.c.) Letrini may be placed at the village and monastery of
St. John, between
Pyrgo and the port of
Katákolo, where, according to Leake, among many fragments of antiquity, a part of a large statue was found some years ago. (Leake,
Morea, vol. ii. p. 188; Boblaye, p. 130, &c.; Curtius,
Peloponnesos, vol. i. p. 72.)
