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Modern Description: A gigantic limestone wall; (Sion) that runs ca. 15 km in a SE direction parallel to Mt. Othrys and forms the S boundary of the Valley of the Spercheios. It has two peaks, Oeta proper (2116 m) and Pyrgos (2153 m). Several massifs can be discerned in the chalk face which rises S of Lamia and measures altogether 35 km from Liascovo to above Thermopylai. Mt. Oeta can be crossed by byroads, as Strabo says (9.4.14), either W of Hypati, whence the summit can be reached in 6 hours, or else by way of the valley of the Asopos and Mavrolithari. M. Acilius Glabrio's action in 191 B.C. provides a clear example: after taking Heraklea he advanced into the interior of Mt. Oeta and sacrificed at Herakles' funeral pyre. The legend states, that after defeating Eurytos and seizing Oechalia, Herakles wished to sacrifice to Zeus and sent his faithful companion, Lichas, to ask Deinaira for a fresh garment. Deinaira then learned that Herakles, who was madly in love with Iole, Eurytos' daughter, was in danger of forgetting her, and she stained the tunic in the blood of Nessos the centaur. This was supposed to be a love potion, but in fact it was a poison that devoured Herakles' flesh. Deinaira killed herself at Trachis. Herakles, for his part, entrusted Iole to Lichas' care, then left Trachis and had a funeral pyre built for himself on Mt. Oeta. Philoktetes finally set it alight. During the fire thunder was heard: it was Zeus summoning Herakles up to Olympos.
The site of the pyre was discovered in 1919-21, 1800 m up the mountainside and a 2-hour journey from Pavliani, less than an hour from Trachis. One can see the hexagonal-shaped funeral pyre (15-20 m each side) as well as a little Doric temple and the remains of small monuments. 150 m from the pyre is a stoa (32.5 x 5 m deep) where the faithful and priests could take shelter from storms, which are frequent in the region. Finally, a small monument may possibly be a Philokteteion: the hero Philoktetes is said to have consecrated near the funeral pyre his offering of part of the booty he had seized after the sack of Troy (Soph. Phil. 1431-33).
Archaeological finds are at the Thebes museum in Boiotia. (Y. BEQUIGNON)
Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Oeta
Wikidata ID: Q132378
Manto: 8254036

Info: Princeton Encyclopedia

(Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, from Perseus Project)

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