Ruins of a small Frankish tower-observatory at the highest point of the ancient fortress “Panakton”.

History

Panakton was an important ancient fortress at the northwestern slopes of Parnes mountain. Its ruins lie on a plateau above the modern village Prasino. It belonged to the city-state of Athens and its purpose was to survey the main route through the mountains from Athens to Viotia and to Thebes.

Normally, ancient fortresses are not included in this site. But in Panakton, around the end of the 14th century-beginning of the 15th (i.e. during Fragokratia), a medieval settlement was founded and developed for a short period until the Ottoman conquest.

We do not know the history of the settlement. Its existence coincides with the period in which the Duchy of Athens was ruled by the Florentine house of Acciaiuoli. The Acciaiuoli were subjects of the kingdom of Naples and were the lords of the area from 1387 (when the Catalan rule collapsed) until 1460 when the Duchy of Athens was occupied by the Ottomans.

There are a few medieval remains (together with the ancient ones) in Panakton including the ruins of a church and some buildings but there are no medieval fortifications. Obviously, the ancient walls were sufficient for the defense. The only fortification element is this tower at the top, which was built with materials from the ancient fort.

Structure, Fortification & Buildings

The dimensions of the tower are 6.64x6.69m. The thickness of the walls is ν 1.40m. It is smaller than other towers in Viotia.

The south side of the tower stands at a height of 2.80m.

Sources