The remains of the ancient city of Thuria are located on the elongated ridge of Hellinikon, approximately 10 kilometers northwest of Kalamata.
At the northern end of the hill was the acropolis, which was surrounded by strong walls of the 4th century BC reinforced with rectangular towers.
The name of ancient Thuria is found in epigraphic testimonies, while Pausanias identifies it with the Homeric Antheia and Strabo with the Homeric Aipeia. During the Spartan occupation, it was a perioecious city and after the founding of Messina in 369 BC, it was the second most powerful city in Messinia. It controlled the extensive plain to its west and also part of the Messinian Gulf, the so-called Thuriatis Gulf.
When Pausanias visited it (2nd century AD), the city had spread westward, to the foothills of the hill and to the area where today the imposing ruins of Roman baths are visible. Athena was a particularly honored goddess, while one of the city's sanctuaries was dedicated to the Syrian goddess, a deity of eastern origin who was introduced to Greece in the 2nd century BC.
Her original name was Atargatis and she was considered a form of Aphrodite who was worshipped with mysterious rituals and processions.
Building and funerary remains from Byzantine times testify to the habitation of the area after the end of the ancient world.
https://www.efamess.gr/pois/archaia-thouria/?free=1
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