Letrinon

Letrini, an ancient city in the region, was situated along the plain road that connected Olympia with Ilis, the city-state responsible for organizing the Olympic Games. It is believed to have been located near the present-day village of Ag. Ioannis, roughly midway between Katakolon and Pyrgos. The city derived its name from Letreas, the son of Pelops.

Pelops, the mythical king of the region, holds significance in the myths surrounding the origin of the Olympic Games. The wider region of the Peloponnese is named after him. In Letrini, there was a shrine dedicated to the Alpheian Artemis, housing a statue of the goddess. According to Pausanias, Artemis sought refuge there when she was pursued by Alpheios, a minor god associated with a nearby river, who had assumed the form of a hunter. To elude him, Artemis disguised herself among the nymphs who were performing nocturnal rituals. The goddess instructed the nymphs to smear their faces with clay, preventing Alpheios from identifying her. According to mythology, the bones of Pelops were also said to be preserved in the city.

The Letrinians are mentioned by Xenophon as allies of Sparta against Ilis in 400 BC.

From 1833 until the 1980s, the broader area around Pyrgos was referred to as the municipality of Letrina, which now corresponds to the municipality of Pyrgos.