Ancient Tenea

Tenea was once the main settlement on the Teneatic plain and was a major city with about 100.000 inhabitants. It was well-documented, having been mentioned by the Greek traveller Pausanias and by the Greek geographer Strabo.

Tenea was once the main settlement on the Teneatic plain and was a major city with about 100.000 inhabitants. It was well-documented, having been mentioned by the Greek traveller Pausanias and by the Greek geographer Strabo, but until rrecently no one knew exactly where it was. All that changed in 2018 when archaeologist Eleni Korka discovered this site between Chiliomodi and Klenia . A Roman workshop has been excavated in the area. Foundations of buildings, traces of an ancient wall, rectangular blocks and columns made of porous stone have all been identified here.

However, the most important find from the area was uncovered way back in 1854 when the beautiful and nearly complete 6th century BC statue known as Apollo of Tenea (or the Kouros of Tenea) came to light. Later on, two similar statues were found in an area where an extensive cemetery from the 6th, 5th and 4th centuries BC and an ancient road were also uncovered. Both these statues are in the Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth.

Another important find made in the area was the cave sanctuary which was discovered on a steep slope in Klenia. It is possibly the most significant cave sanctuary from Ancient Corinthian times to have been uncovered. The archaeological finds speak to the long history of human habitation in the area as they range from as far back as Neolithic times up to the Roman era, while the pieces of pottery found are from the Middle Helladic and Classical eras. Traces of a Prehistoric settlement were also found on Agioi Asomatos hill in Klenia.

You can also visit the archaeological site of ancient Latomeion in the village of Agios Vasileios. Archaeologists place its use from the 5th to the 3rd century. Near the village there are remains of Hadrian's Aqueduct, a Roman engineering feat which channelled water all the way from Lake Stymphalia to the city of Ancient Corinth.

Location

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