The town was founded in winter of 370-369 BC by the Tibetan general Epameinondas after his victory against the Spartans in the battle of Lefktro and his invasion in Laconia. Epameinondas freed Messinia from the influence of Spartans and chose the foothills of Mount Ithomi to built the capital city of the freed Messinians. The major sites and monuments that have been discovered are [11] : Asklipeiio, Theatre. This existed since the Hellenistic era, it was re-built in the years of the Emperors Augustus and Tiberius in the middle of the 2nd AD century but it started being damaged since the late 3rd and the early 4th century AD. Many houses and the one out of the three Basiliscs were built out of the stones of the theatre during the first Christian ages, which is located in a small distance Southeast of the theatre, Krini Arsinoi, Savior Zeus temple. Zeus’ was one of the most important of the town after the of the town’s saint Ithomata. Pausanias also refers to the Stadium and the Gymnasium.
