Extract

Aegium, Achaean port 40 km. (25 mi.) east of *Patrae, beneath the modern town of Aigion. It was settled from neolithic times, with particularly extensive activity during the late Helladic and Classical periods (when the city was walled). Classical sources refer to a shrine of Eileithyia, a temenos of Asclepius, and temples of *Athena and *Hera. The roadside shrine of *Artemis or Hera at Ano Mazaraki may have been controlled by Aegium.Aegium gained political importance after the destruction in 373 bce of Helice (whose citizens, along with those of Rhypes, it absorbed). The city expanded from the 4th cent., with a large agora and shrine complex. The nearby sanctuary of Zeus Homarius was the cult centre of the *Achaean Confederacy after 276. By the late 3rd cent., Aegium held the league archive and received ambassadors. The biennial league assembly of all Achaean citizens met here until 189 bce.