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Modern Description: To the E of Mt. Hymettos lies the rich plain of the Mesogaia, today farmed from four large rural centers, Spata, Liopesi, Markopoulo, and Koropi. The situation in antiquity was little different, and it was early recognized from the numbers of inscriptions, pieces of sculpture, and architectural blocks built into the houses and churches at Koropi and its vicinity that an ancient deme had once existed near the location of its modern successor. The identification of this deme as Sphettos, one of the original twelve townships that formed the union of Attica under Theseus (Philochoros 328 F 94), was, until recently, more a matter of conjecture than of fact, being largely based on the account in Philochoros (328 F 108) and Plutarch (Thes. 13) of the attack of the Pallantidai on Theseus, a march that originated at Sphettos. In 1965, however, virtually all doubt was removed by the discovery at the chapel on the Kastro tou Christou, a prominent hill crowned with a monastery a little more than 3 km W of Koropi, of an inscribed base for a statue of Demetrios of Phaleron dedicated by the demesmen of Sphettos (cf. Diog. Laert. 5.75-77). Not only did this inscription make the identification certain, but it also demonstrated that the center of the deme of Sphettos was in all probability nearby. Also close to the chapel are a number of cuttings, suitable for votive reliefs, and traces of terracing which may possibly be construed as the remains of a small rural sanctuary. In the plain immediately to the NE of the hill are several chapels and the ruins of a village, from which much ancient material has been recovered. To the W, overlooking the Mesogaia on the nearest heights of Hymettos at the Chapel of Prophet Elias, are two small Classical temples (q.v. Hymettos). From their dramatic position in full view of all who lived in the predecessor of Koropi, one assumes that this sanctuary belonged to Sphettos. (C.W.J. ELIOT)
The Kastro tou Christou hill has an oblong shape, with the long axis directed east-west. At its east end, a modern monastery has been erected around an old church dedicated to the Birth of Christ, to which the hill owes its name. This church, already reported by Milchhöfer and still perfectly preserved, is a small single-aisled basilica of unknown date, preserving two small monolithic columns of greyish green marble. The spot where the chapel stands has known cult activity since ancient times, as many rock-cuttings of Hellenistic times have been found next to the chapel. It is therefore highly possible that either the chapel of the Birth, or its architectural predecessors, go back to Early Christian times and replaced a pagan religious site. The flat top of the hill is protected by a strong medieval circuit wall, which still survives in most parts to a height of 0.5-1.20 m. The wall follows the steep edges of the hill, especially at the south side. It has an ellipsoid ground plan, with a long axis of 190 m and a short axis of 65 m, thus encircling an area of ca. 10,500 sq. m. A smaller circuit wall survives on the summit (west part) of the hill, encircling a considerably smaller area, the surface of which cannot be measured without a systematic survey of the hilltop.
Numerous terrace walls partition the lower enclosed area. The outer wall appears to belong coherently to one phase of construction: it has a width of ca. 1 m, and it is made of undressed stones, predominantly of medium, but also of large and small size. The masonry is not sophisticated but solid, with large amounts of whitish mortar still preserved in the masonry. Ceramic tiles have been used in the masonry only very occasionally. At the western edge of the outer circuit wall, an opening in the wall indicates a gate oriented towards the passage over Mt Hymettus (not drawn on Kotzias’ ground plan). Another gate must have been situated at the middle of the northern course of the wall, where the slope is relatively even, and where nowadays there is a large opening at the course of the wall, showing some degree of destruction.
The history of the Kastro tou Christou hill during the Late Roman and Early Byzantine period is attested mainly through ceramic evidence. The hill has repeatedly been reported to bear ‘medieval remains’. First Kotzias, who undertook excavation on the top of the hill, looking for evidence for prehistoric activity, found “…a large number of Roman sherds, although medieval sherds were also present”. A. Kalogeropoulou noted that habitation on the hill continued from Hellenistic to Roman and to Late Roman times, but did not provide sufficient evidence for the latter period. Wrede collected an Early Roman and two LRom/EByz amphora sherds. The latest so far known evidence for activity or habitation on the hill has been provided by a bronze coin of the 12th or 13th c.
The role of the ‘Kastro tou Christou’ is not perfectly clear. Its large size suggests that it was also used for habitation. A few large piles of stones, which may have belonged to houses, are to be seen in the enclosed area, but the high vegetation prevents any further observation. Moreover, agricultural activity, attested by Kotzias, which took place on the hill during modern times, has affected the landscape. However, the prominence of the hill, near the exit of the southern pass over Hymettus, its direct access to water source (on its north slope), in combination with its defensive character, show that it played a strategic role. It may also have played a commercial role, since it commands one of the major roads leading into the basin of Athens. (Tzavella 2012, p. 261ff)
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sphettus
Wikidata ID: Q13446048
Trismegistos Geo: 2185
Manto: 10194972

Info: Princeton Encyclopedia

(Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, from Perseus Project)

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