Ithome

ITHO´ME(Ἰθώμη: Eth. Ἰθωμήτης, Ἰθωμαῖος).

1. A town of Histiaeotis in Thessaly, described by Homer as the rocky Ithome(Ἰθώμη κλωμακόεσσα, Il. 2.729), is placed by Strabo within a quadrangle formed by the four cities, Tricca, Metropolis, Pelinnaeum, and Gomphi. (Strab. 9. p. 437.) It probably occupied the site of the castle which stands on the summit above the village of Fandri. Leake observed, near the north-western face of the castle, some remains of a very ancient Hellenic wall, consisting of a few large masses of stone, roughly hewn on the outside, but accurately joined to one another without cement. (Leake, Northern Greece, vol, 4. p. 510.)


2. A mountain fortress in Messenia, where the Messenians long maintained themselves against the Spartans in the First Messenian War. It was after-wards the citadel of Messene, when this city was founded by Epaminondas. For details, see MESSENE