At the eastern entrance of the village of Ancient Feneos or Kalyvia, south of the provincial road connecting it with Mesino, on the hill of Agios Konstantinos, lies the archaeological site of Ancient Feneos. The history of habitation in the area is lost in the depths of time, where history and myth intertwine. According to Greek mythology, Feneos was inhabited by the Pelasgians and later, around 1900 BC, by the Arcadians. In 1500 BC, the Achaeans established the Mycenaean center of Feneos and participated in the Trojan War with sixty warriors under the leadership of the Arcadian king Agapenor, son of Ancaeus, and 60 ships provided by Agamemnon, as mentioned in the Catalogue of Ships in the Iliad.
According to Greek mythology, the plateau of Feneos was a vast lake, as the waters of the Olvios River had no outlet and accumulated in the plain, preventing the inhabitants from cultivating the fertile land. Then, Heracles, who had family ties to the area since his great-grandmother Laonome was from Feneos, decided to drain the area to make it cultivable for the locals. He constructed large channels, which still exist today, leading the waters to the sinkholes he also created. This myth contains the historical truth of the ingenious Mycenaean inhabitants of Feneos, who, like their neighbors in Stymphalia, undertook extensive drainage works to secure arable land.
Heracles maintained close relations with the area, so much so that when he stole the tripod of the Pythia from Delphi, he came to Feneos to establish his own oracle. Near the Acropolis of the ancient city, Apollo caught up with him, and a fierce battle ensued, which Zeus stopped with a thunderbolt. However, it was not only Heracles who played a significant role in Feneos. Another important myth mentions that the sinkholes served as entrances to Hades, where Demeter descended to find her only daughter, Persephone. This myth clearly reflected the fact that in ancient Feneos, the “Kidaria Demeter” was worshipped with rituals similar to those of the Eleusinian Mysteries.
Excavations on the Acropolis brought to light a sanctuary of Asclepius with significant finds. The area was excavated between 1958-1961 by the archaeologist Mrs. E. Deilaki. The temple revealed measured 10 × 6.10 meters, and a rectangular base was found, upon which were two huge marble feet with sandals, each 80 centimeters long. Behind the base, an 80-centimeter tall marble female head with alabaster eyes was found, dated to 150 BC and representing the goddess Hygieia.
Excavations conducted a few years ago by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Corinth and the Austrian Archaeological Institute in Athens revealed a wall running along the entire northern slope of the Acropolis, measuring 230 meters in total length and reinforced with four semicircular towers, emphasizing the strategic importance of the city. Simultaneously, traces of Middle Helladic habitation (from the 21st to the 16th century BC) were discovered on the naturally formed plateau of Agios Konstantinos. Deeper layers revealed traces of Neolithic habitation in Feneos for the first time.
In this blessed land, continuously inhabited through the centuries, according to Pausanias, there was a stadium dedicated to Hermes where games were held every four years, a sanctuary of Athena Tritonia, and a statue of Hippios Poseidon dedicated by Odysseus when he found his lost mares grazing in the fertile plain.
Today, visitors will see only a few ruins from the myth of past millennia and centuries. However, in the surrounding atmosphere, they will feel gods, demigods, heroes, nymphs, goddesses, and spirits intertwining with the pure smile, sincere heart, and warm gaze of the inhabitants of the Feneos plain!
