The ancient fortress of Aigosthena is in West Atiica, near the coastal village Porto Germeno, 450m from the sea. It was an ancient fortress that remained on use in the early Byzantine period and maybe later.

It is rather in the best condition among the ancient forts that are preserved in Greece.

History

In the classical period Aigosthena belonged to Megara. The fortress was built sometime around the early 4th to the early 3rd century BC, most probably in 343 BC when the Athenians were helping the city-state of Megara to confront the threat of Thiva. For this reason, the fort was manned by a guard of Athenians.

Structure, Fortification & Buildings

The top of the hill of the castle is occupied by the acropolis covering an area 190m x 80m. The walls at the east side are still standing high and there are 4 towers and one small gate.

The most impressive part of the castle is the tower at the southeastern corner of the acropolis. It is a square tower, 20m tall with dimensions of each side 8.9m. The acropolis was connected to the harbor with a fortified wall from which only some ruins of the northern side still exist.

There are relics from the byzantine period, most notably, the ruins of a basilica church from the 5th century AD. There are also ruins of a post-Byzantine monastery.

Sources