Iklaina

Iklaina (Greek: Ίκλαινα) is a historic village in the municipal unit of Pylos, Messenia, Greece.

The settlement, which is situated in low hills approximately 10 km (6.2 mi) northeast of Pylos, stands upon the remains of a Late Bronze Age (ca.

Finds include an early Mycenaean palace, giant terrace walls, murals, an advanced drainage system, and a clay tablet dating from between 1450 and 1350 B.C.

[4] The discovery of a large terrace, 23 x 8 m, built in the Cyclopean building method using massive blocks of stone, proved to be particularly important.

Later building activity was carried out in the northern part of the settlement, however, where the so-called "Megaron Γ" was constructed.

The large building complexes, the rich finds, the refined taste, and the advanced level of technical knowledge of the inhabitants suggests that Iklaina could have been the capital of an autonomous small state that may have clashed with a neighboring state at Ano Englianos, which may have subdued the former and demoted it to a secondary capital of one of the provinces of Pylia.