Pineios River (Peloponnese)
Encyclopedia
- See also Pineios River (Thessaly)Pineios River (Thessaly)The Pineiós is a river in Thessaly, Greece.The river is named after the god Peneus and was known for most of the 11th century as the Salambria. It flows from the Pindus mountains and empties into the Aegean Sea, northeast of Vale of Tempe, near Stomio. It creates a large delta, well-known for its...
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The Pineiós (Greek: Πηνειός, also Pineus) is a river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. It is probably not named after the god Peneus
Peneus
In Greek mythology, Peneus was a Thessalian river god, one of the three thousand Rivers , a child of Oceanus and Tethys. The nymph Creusa bore him one son, Hypseus, who was King of the Lapiths, and three daughters, Menippe , Daphne, and Stilbe. He also had a son Atrax with Bura, and Andreus with...
. It flows from the mountain Erymanthus
Mount Erymanthos
Mount Erymanthos is a dense mountain range south of Patras in the middle of Achaia prefecture. The mountains is also called Olonos . Historically it was in northwestern Arcadia and was the second tallest in the historic Arcadia, the northern portion belonged to the historic Achaea...
(Olonos), and empties into a bay SW of Gastouni
Gastouni
Gastouni is a town and a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pineios, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. Distance is south of Lechaina, from Kyllini Baths, from Pyrgos, NW of Amaliada and SW of...
connecting the Ionian Sea
Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea , is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. It is bounded by southern Italy including Calabria, Sicily and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania to the north, and a large number of Greek islands, including Corfu, Zante, Kephalonia, Ithaka, and...
. The river flows through the southern half of the Ilia
Ilia
-Science and Medicine:*Apatura ilia or Lesser Purple Emperor, a butterfly*Ilium , pelvic bone-Places:*Ilia, Hunedoara, Romania*Ilia Prefecture, Greece*Ilia Province, Greece*Ilia Gechikov, Belarus-Arts and literature:...
plain. The river passes through:
- Agia TriadaAgia Triada (Ilia), GreeceAgia Triada is a village in the northern part of the municipal unit of Lasiona and the northern part of the Elis prefecture. It is accessed by a road connecting Patras and Tripoli, the GR-33 and the Amaliada to Simpoulo Road 4 km N...
- north of Simopoulo
- KentroKentroKentro may refer to several places in Greece:*Kentro, Grevena, a village in the Grevena Prefecture*Kentro, Elis, a village in the northern part of Elis*Kentro, Messenia, a village in the prefecture of Messenia...
- Ancient ElisElisElis, or Eleia is an ancient district that corresponds with the modern Elis peripheral unit...
- between RoupakiRoupakiRoupaki is a community that is a part of the municipal unit of Gastouni, Elis, Greece. Distance from Amaliada is 6 km N and 6 km E from the highway...
and Agia MavraAgia Mavra (Ilia), GreeceAgia Mavra is a village in the prefecture of Elis in Greece. It is part of the municipal unit of Tragano. It is 5 km NE of Gastouni. It is situated not far from the Pineios River. Greek National Road 9 is 5 km NW and about 5 km NE. Distance from Patras is 69 km SE and... - south of KavasilasKavasila (Ilia), GreeceKavasila is a small town that is part of Gastouni in NNW Ilia, Greece. Its population is around 1500. It is accessed by a highway linking Patras and Pyrgos, known as GR-9, the new highway now bypasses Kavasila. Distance from Patras is 66 km, SE of Kyllini, and 32 km from Pyrgos. Its...
- east of VartholomioVartholomioVartholomio is a town and a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pineios, of which it is a municipal unit. Its population is around 3,182 . Elevation is 3 to 4 m above sea level. The Pineios River flows southeast...
- east of Kalyvia Myrtountion
In ancient times, the river passed east of what is now Staphidokampos, the Andravida Military Airport
Andravida
Andravída is a town and a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andravida-Kyllini, of which it is a municipal unit. Its population is about 4,300. Distance from Patras is around 63 km SW and 33 km NW of...
, Lechaina
Lechaina
Lechaina is a town and a former municipality in Elis, West Greece, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Andravida-Kyllini, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit. It is situated 39 km north of the city of Pyrgos, and 60 km southwest of Patras...
, and the former wetlands, now drained for agricultural purposes, near Agios Panteleimonas
Agios Panteleimonas
Agios Panteleimonas is a small settlement in the northwestern part of Lechaina, Greece. Its population is about seventy and was 63 in the 2001 census. The sects include Kotineika, Koloveika and Veskoukeika...
.
In the 1960s, the government began building an earth-shaped dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
named the Peneus Dam (Φράγμα Πηνειού Fragma Pineiou) to supply water for the north and much of Elia. This has flooded a couple of roads including those from Gastouni to Simopoulo, and from Borsi to Simopoulo which is now accessible over the earth dam. The direction is almost directly north to south. The water is not safe for drinking, because it contains some contaminants. The dam is considered the highest dam in Elia, but not the Peloponnese
Peloponnese
The Peloponnese, Peloponnesos or Peloponnesus , is a large peninsula , located in a region of southern Greece, forming the part of the country south of the Gulf of Corinth...
. The floodway length is nearly 1 km. It contains the prefecture's (then the Peloponnese's) longest suspended bridge which is suspended with concrete. Distance from Gastouni is 16 km, and Amaliada is nearly 20 km NE. The length of the road over the dam is nearly 2 km with a water control tower in the middle. Roads were remapped and now bypass Kentro. The population is around 200. The river is seldom dry but many of its tributaries during dry summers cease to flow.
In Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, the Peneus and Alpheus
Alfeios River
Alfeiós is the longest river in the Peloponnese, in Greece. The river is 110 km long, flowing through the prefectures of Arcadia and Ilia. Its source is near Megalopoli in the highlands of Arcadia. The river begins near Davia in central Arcadia, then flows between Leontari and Megalopoli through a...
were two rivers re-routed by Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
in his fifth labour in order to clean the filth from the Augean Stables in a single day, a task which had been presumed to be impossible.