Patras, in the Greek region of Peloponnese, is a city which counts with a very antique and interesting past which provides valuable knowledge to the history of the humanity. This ancient town is very rich in history and this characteristic can be seen reflected through its constructions, art works, and many other elements that cause it to be a very attractive destination.
The history of Patras has been seen with clarity after a variety of excavations which brought to the light several major elements that allowed archeologists and historians to have an accurate idea of the city’s past. Before these excavations, an important part of what was known about Patras’ history was based on what have been passing from a generation to the next by written and oral communication.
According to what was known after the enlightening excavations, Patras received its first inhabitants within the 3rd millennium BC. This amazing fact was known after some elements discovered in the area of the town known as Aroe, and allowed scientists to know that the town was initially populated much earlier than it was thought before the excavations.
During the first centuries of the 2nd millennium BC, in the period of time known as Middle Hellenistic, a new populated spot became the next settlement in the area of Patras. This settlement and the former one established during the 3rd millennium BC were the first ones in this spot and the originators of the future town, which would start becoming more populated during the second half of the 12th century BC, in what is known as the Mycenean or Post Hellenistic Period.
There are several Mycenean caves spread throughout Patras and other surrounding cities. These caves allowed understanding and clarifying several facts regarding the history of the town. The most important fact which scientists could find by combining the knowledge gained from these caves with what was found through the excavations is the way in which the region had great increase in its population during the Mycenean Period and the fact that many different settlements and populated spots established connections and relations with each other.