Messenia

Department of Greece and country of ancient Greece in the Peloponnese region, bounded on the east by Laconia, north by Elis and Arcadia, and surrounded on the east and west by the sea; area 2991 sq km/1154 sq mi; population (1993) 171,800. The capital is Kalamata.

The region has been intensively cultivated since the deepening and damming of the River Pamisos, with the emphasis on cash crops, especially potatoes, rice, and grapes (from which currants are produced). The western part is drained by the Pamisos, which rises in the mountains between Arcadia and Messenia and flows to the Gulf of Messenia. The upper part of the river basin is narrow and only moderately fertile, but the lower part is an extensive alluvial plain.

The ancient history of Messenia was dominated by its struggle against Sparta in the three Messenian wars 743-724 BC, 685-666 BC, and 463-456 BC. After the overthrow of Sparta in 371 BC, Messene was founded, and Messenia remained independent until 146 BC, when it was included in the Roman province of Achaea.