Palairos (, ) was a city of ancient Greece, situated in the southern part of the region of
Epirus. The city, ruinous for centuries, is thought to have existed during the
Mycenean period, since parts of the city walls appear to date back to 2000 B.C. The construction of the walls interchanges between the square-shaped and the polygonal system and the parts belong to different periods. It lies high in the mountains overlooking the
Ionian Sea and
Lake Vourkaria. The city is thought to have had a population of over 10,000 people. During antiquity it was part of
Acarnania, according to the
Theodorokoi, situated on the west coast, on the
Ionian Sea, which is placed by
Strabo between
Leucas and
Alyzia. In the first year of the
Peloponnesian War (431 BCE) Palairos was in alliance with the
Athenians; and when the latter people took the neighbouring town of
Sollium, which was a
Corinthian colony, they gave both it and its territory to the inhabitants of Palaerus. At nearby
Actium,
Mark Antony and
Cleopatra were defeated in the
Battle of Actium by
Octavius. According to tradition, the salt lake was the saviour of Cleopatra, who hid her ships there. The
citadel on the eastern part of the yard is separated by a partition and is considered to be the most ancient part of the wall, probably from the Mycenean period. The ruins are close to the present-day town of Palairos. ==See also==