Taygetos Taleton 2
posted by vetdino at Monday, July 02, 2007
Monday, July 02, 2007
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the historical background of an epic movie... "Because only we, contrary to the Barbarians, never count the enemy in battle" Aeschylus
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Between the province of Messinia and Laconia lies one of the largest and most beautiful mountains of Greece: mount Taygetus.
It begins from the plateau of Megalopolis and ends at cape Tenaron the south-most tip of continental Europe. 110 kilometers long with its widest point at 29 kilometers, Taygetus is covering a surface of 2.544.000 acres.
Two gorges go through the mountain: the gorge of the Great Lagada and Saggias. Until today 116 rivers have been discovered, 22 underground. Unique caves, such as the largest lake-cave in the world: the water-cave of Diros.
Taygetus offers to the visitor interesting walking paths and motor-sport opportunities.
Another characteristic of the mountain is the variety of biotopes resulting in a wide range of plants and animals. Taygetus remains a rare ecosystem.
The Byzantine Citadel of Mystas, which was the administrative center of the Peloponnese for 200 year.
Mani, covering the entire southern part of the Taygetus. Smaller and larger villages up to 1000 meters above the sea level.
Since the beginning of the historical age, the Taygetus has been the barrier of two great cities: to the west, Fares, later named Kalamata, and to the East SPARTA.
Taygetus is a mountain still growing by 1 cm per year.
This impressive mountain rules over the southern Peloponnese. It got its name from Taygeti, daughter of Atlas. Its highest peak was named Taleton.
The sacred peak associated with the cult of the Sun of Apollo.
Pausanias informs us that the peak of Taleton was also called the “Sacred limp of the Sun”. At that point the ancients used to sacrifice, among other animals, horses for the chariot of the Sun.
A well-placed stone pyramid, as if a divine hand has put it there, a perfect cone. Thus since ancient years the area surrounding this characteristic peak was called Laconia: La-cone, In ancient Greek “laas”=”las” means “stone”.
Nowadays, the peak is named “Prophet Eliah” and there lies a small roofless church. Every year people flock to the mount-peak to enjoy the greatness of Taygetus.
At sun-dawn the shadow of the pyramid is impressed on the Laconian valley and at day-break on the Messinian gulf.
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