Aspropyrgos, Aspropyrgos, Piraeus & Islands,Attica
Tower of Rheitoi
| Location: |
| On a hill at the shore of Skaramagkas, at the ancient site of Rheitoi, between lake Koumoundouros and the refinery |
| Region > Prefecture: |  |
| Attica Piraeus & Islands | |
| Municipality > Town: | |
| City of Aspropyrgos • Aspropyrgos | |
| Altitude: | |
| Elevation ≈ 18 m |
| Time of Construction | Origin | |
| Unknown | BYZANTINE  |
|
| Castle Type | Condition | |
| Ruined Tower |
Few Remains
|
Few visible remains of a medieval tower at the top of the hill of the archaeological site of Rheitoi.
Langdon includes it in his list of the mortared towers of Greece.
Structure, Fortification & Buildings
On the east side of the bay of Eleusis a low hill divides two seaside lakes known in antiquity as Rheitoi lakes. From the two ancient lakes only one remains today, the heavily polluted lake of Koumoundouros.
On top of the hill are the remains of a medieval tower measuring 8.80m✖12.55m.
Only the foundations of the tower are visible. Langdon reports a maximum height 1.20m but currently the height is much less.
Excavations of the structure revealed that the interior was almost completely filled with ash and that the walls showed traces of burning. The composition of the walls is clearly rubble and ceramic slips bonded with mortar. A few scraps of late Roman or early Byzantine pottery are reported.
Sources
- M. K. Langdon, (survey 1986), The Mortared Towers of Central Greece: An Attic Supplement, The Annual of the British School at Athens, Vol. 90, Centenary Volume (1995), p.477
- Pictures and information after in situ visit by Mr. Ioannis Dedes
- Anastasia Leriοu, Western Attica in Antiquity, PREFECTURE oF WESTERN ATTICA, 2010, ISBN: 978-960-93-2040-5, pp.23
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| Entrance: |
| Free access |