The remains of the ancient city of Thouria are visible on the elongated ridge of Ellinika, about 10 kilometres northwest of Kalamata. The acropolis was located at the northern edge of the hill, and was surrounded by strong walls of the 4th century BC, that were reinforced with rectangular towers. The name of ancient Thouria appears in inscriptions, while Pausanias identifies it with the Homeric Antheia and Strabo with the Homeric Aepeia. During the Spartan occupation it was a perioikic city and after the foundation of Messene in 369 BC, Thouria was the second most powerful city of Messenia. It controlled the extensive plain to its west and part of the Messenian Gulf, the so-called Thourian Gulf. When Pausanias visited it (2nd century AD), the city had spread to the west, on the foothills of the hill and in the area where the imposing ruins of Roman baths are visible today. Athena was a highly honoured goddess and 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. She was considered a variation of Aphrodite and was worshipped with mystical rituals and processions. Building and burial remains of Byzantine times testify to the inhabitation of the area after the end of the ancient world.