Tower of Kiveri
The Tower of Kiveri ( Greek Πύργος Κιβερίου ) or Tower of the Princess ( Greek Πύργος Βασιλοπούλας ) is a ruined tower in the Argolis in Greece . It is located about 700 m south of Kastro Kiveriou Castle and about 600 m southwest of Myli . It is clearly visible from the excavation site in Lerna . The tower was named after the nearby place, which was called Kiveri in the Middle Ages . The place was later renamed Myli. The modern town of Kiveri is 3 km south.
legend
A princess is said to have lived in the tower a long time ago. It is variously described as particularly beautiful or particularly ugly. An underground passage allegedly led from the tower to the beach about 900 m to the east, through which the princess could go swimming without being noticed.
description
The tower stands on a 74 m high mountain spur, gently sloping to the north, east and south. It is surrounded by an enclosure wall. The enclosed area measured about 60 m from west to east and 23 m from north to south. The wall is 0.60 m thick and is still 2 m high in the south and east and 1 m high in the north. The western wall has almost completely disappeared. The wall, like the tower, was built from limestone with mortar made of sand and gravel, and larger spaces were filled with potsherds. In the masonry, a thick layer of wall is followed by two thin layers.
The tower is rectangular, measuring 5.50 × 6.75 m and has been preserved to its original height of 10 m. The walls are 0.60 m thick. The beam holes show that there were two upper floors in addition to a ground floor. While the walls of the upper floors were plastered, they remained unplastered on the ground floor. It is therefore assumed that the stables were on the ground floor. The living area was on the first floor and was usually not directly connected to the stables and was therefore accessible via an external staircase. Occasionally the entrance was secured by a drawbridge . In the living area there were cupboards set into the wall in the north and south about a meter above the floor. Large windows in the north and south and two more windows in the east and probably one in the west provided light. On the second floor there were two windows in the east and west and one small window in the north and south. In every corner there was a loophole and the windows were fitted with saddle shops. A parapet with battlements forms the roof end .
interpretation
The tower was often assigned to the Franconian or Venetian period . However, it is clearly an Ottoman structure. The tower also served no military purpose. Both the loopholes and the battlements are rather unsuitable for defense. The location on an easily accessible hill and the thin walls also lead to this assessment. It is very likely the residential tower ( Greek πύργος ; Greek κουλας or Turkish kule ) of a Sipahi , Agha or landowner . Such residential towers were very numerous and were described by travelers in the 19th century and often used as a residence. Another residential tower is said to have stood on the coast near the town of Myli.
literature
- Wallace E. McLeod: Kiveri and Thermisi in American School of Classical Studies at Athens : Hesperia , Volume 31, Part 4, pp. 378–392 ( online )
Web links
Coordinates: 37 ° 32 ′ 51.7 ″ N , 22 ° 42 ′ 36.1 ″ E