Walls at Shrine of Aphrodite, from SW, Piraeus, Fortification Walls

Interior view of wall at Shrine of Aphrodite, from SW, Piraeus, Fortificat...

Section of Konon's wall along coast (inlet at Akti Themistokleous and...

Tower and walls at Aphrodision Gate, from S, Piraeus, Fortification Walls

Asty Gate, Piraeus, Fortification Walls

View from gate toward NW and top of wall at Shrine of Aphrodite, Piraeus, ...

Context: Piraeus
Type: Fortification
Summary: Fortification walls; encircling the city of Piraeus.
Date: ca. 480 BC - ca. 390 BC
Region: Attica
Period: Classical

Plan:

Thick walls with towers and fortified gates. Many smaller walls within the outermost walls.

History:

The Themistoklean wall crossed the Akte Peninsula at its widest point, in places 20-40 m from the water's edge, and enclosed a smaller area than Conon's wall. Conon rebuilt the Themistoklean wall in 4th century B.C. The fortification walls of Piraeus included not only the major outside city walls, the Themistoklean, Conon's, and Long Walls, but also smaller interior walls surrounding and separating important units within the city. Some of these are walls around the Kantharos Port, the Kolphos Port and Harbor of Etonia, the Port of Zea, the Harbor of Munychia, and the Fortress of Munychia.

Other Bibliography:

Loukopoulos 1973, 51; Papachadzi 1974, 100-101