Strabo 10.2.4 and the Synoecism of "Newer" Pleuron

by Michael B. Lippman

Hesperia, Volume 73, Issue 4
Page(s): 497-512
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4134902
Year: 2004
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ABSTRACT:

In the absence of archaeological or epigraphic evidence, most scholars have taken Strabo's short passage on Pleuron as proof that Old Pleuron was sacked by Demetrios II and that, as a result, New Pleuron was rebuilt on higher and more secure ground. A close examination of the historical context and the language of Strabo suggests, however, that Old Pleuron was never sacked. New Pleuron was planned and built from a position of strength as a preventative measure to withstand an anticipated period of warfare. The communities formerly surrounding the low-lying city of Old Pleuron then synoecized around the fortified urban center of New Pleuron.