© Salvatore Ortisi
Due to the strategic importance of the Kephissos Valley as a natural link between the Gulf of Corinth and Thermopylae, and thus the Aegean Sea, the region continued to play an important military role until Byzantine times. In 198 BC, Consul Titus Quintus Flamininus succeeded in conquering Elateia after a lengthy siege during the war against Philip V. The Macedonian garrison, which had initially entrenched itself on the city's acropolis, was able to withdraw after negotiations. The Roman army took over the city, which served as the headquarters of the Roman commander for the next two years. The events of the Second Macedonian War, which have been handed down mainly by Titus Livius (32, 24, 1-7), have so far been difficult to grasp archaeologically.
The acropolis of Elateia, which was used at least temporarily as a Roman camp, and the substantial remains of a siege ring of as yet undetermined age were investigated between 2019 and 2022 in a collaborative project with the Athens department of the German Archaeological Institute and the Ephorie Phthiotida-Evrytania.
Since 2024, rural settlement in the Kefissos Valley has been the focus of the research collaboration. In 2025, the late Hellenistic and Imperial period sites are to be examined and verified through targeted surface surveys.
Collaborative Partners
© Salvatore Ortisi
Athens Department of the German Archaeological Institute (Professor Katja Sporn, project manager)
Ephoria Phthiotida-Evrytania (Dr. Petros Kounuoklas)