Modern Description:
The rounded peak of Mount Merenda rises to the southwest of the village of Markopoulo in the Mesogeia. About 1300 m. west northwest of the summit (height 612, Karten von Attika, Bl. XIII) is a secondary peak (height 425) lying at the western end of a broad, fairly level ridge. The area around this lower peak is enclosed on the north, east, and south by a rubble defense wall. The wall is some 113 m. long. It begins on the north at a point beyond which the builders evidently thought no defense was needed; the cliffs on the northwest would be difficult if not impossible to scale. It follows the contours of the land in a counterclockwise direction, being continuous except for a gateway at the southeast. On the south side the wall runs below and to the south of a steep rock face which runs near to the survey marker. It ends abruptly, and, although the terrain is very rocky and difficult of access, it does not stop at an ideal place. The wall is built of field stones, and in its best preserved sections it is about 1.60 m. high and 2.10 m. thick. The absence of much fallen stone in these well-preserved areas makes it unlikely that it was ever much higher. The single gateway is a simple opening in the wall; the faces are not parallel so that it is 2.50 m. wide at the inside and only 1.70 m. wide at the outside. The enclosed area is larger than might be expected from the length of the wall, since the ridge extends in a westward direction for some distance before ending in a steep cliff. The highest point, where a survey marker now stands, commands an excellent view of the Mesogeia. There is no trace of building within the enclosure, nor were any tile fragments found on the surface; the rough, rocky surface of the ground makes it likely that no buildings ever existed. Only a very few sherds were found in spite of a careful and exhaustive search. These were all coarse and shapeless and might date from any period. These indications suggest that the fortification was both hastily built and quickly abandoned. Its position suggests its use as a watch-post for the observation of activities in the Mesogeia. There is, however, unfortunately no archaeological evidence for its date. (MCCREDIE)
Trismegistos Geo: 37772
Info: McCredie, Fortified Military Camps 
James R. McCredie, Fortified Military Camps in Attica, Hesperia Supplement 11, 1966,
