Mount Lyceum

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Lyceum is a mountain of Arcadia at the frontier of three nomes: Arcadia, Mykines and Elis Province. Its top is Prophetis Ilias (Greek for Prophet Elijah), ancient creta 1421 meters height. The name Lyceum is from the root Luc (λυκ) which means light. The mountain is between Alphios river and the coasts of Kyparissia (kyparissia that time was costs of arcadia called arcadiά)

[edit] Mythology - Antiquity

During the era of Ancient Greece it was the Holy Mountain of Arcadians where it is believed Zeus was born. Ancient Arcadians called this mountain 'Olympus' and 'holy mountain'. Rhea took to top of Lyceuum, Cretea, in order to escape to her husband Cronus who ate their children. She gave birth to Zeus there. Rhea wanted to ablute her baby, but there was no water. She bit the ground and found water. The river made was Neda River (female river). Zeus was given to Agno, Theisoa and Neda which were nymphs of Alfeios River. Zeus abluted there. Neda later suckled him and brought him up. Ancient Arcadians were saying that Crete the island was not where Zeus was born,but instead on the top of Lyceum.

At the root of the mountain there was Lycosura (wolftail),which according to Pausanias the geographer was the first city on the world, with other smaller cities around. At the top it was the Altar Of Zeus where the sacrifice of animals and humans took place according to Pausanias. The altar was made of stone and by it there were two smaller columns with eagles on them which looked towards the east. There were stories told that those sacrificing to Lyceum Zeus became Werewolves. They should not eat human flesh for the next ten years in order to become human again.

Near the altar was a holy place of Pan in a cave where he had sexual relations with Selene (the lunar deity). Around the cave was the small forest of Pythios Apollo, and after the forest, the Stadium, the Hippodrome and the guest houses. There took place the Lykaia, athletic games by honor of Lyceum Zeus. Pausanias reports that these games were the oldest ever held. "Beholders sut on stoned [...] and the winners crowned with olive branches on pedestals and took a Cu object. They were competing in music (diaulos (double aulos)), stadion (running 400 m), pentathlon (five sports), Greek wrestling (πάλη), and Ancient Greek Boxing (πυγμή). Arcadians fight with their natural name Arcades."

According to Thucydides at the altar of Zeus there was a holy where Pleistoanax was hunted by his fellow Lacedaemonians. The entrance was forbidden for common people. If you got in there you would die within a year. Only priests were allowed.

[edit] Archeology

The first archaeological diggings were done in 1897 by K. Kontopoulos, in 1902 and in 1909 by K. Kounturiotis. In 2006, new digging research has been done from the American School of Classical Studies at Athens by David Romano and Michalis Petropoulos. According to the results of their diggings to the altar in 2007 they were at protohelladian era (3000 BC).

(translated from the Greek Wikipedia article)