The Kallithea region has a very rich historical heritage. The altar of Ammon Zeus was established in the 5th century B.C., while the temple was built during the 4th century B.C. It was also at that time that the new gradines were built, allowing the believers to attend the mysteries. At the time of the Byzantine Emperor Theodosios, the temple complex was violently destroyed. It must have been at that time, that the old Christian Basilica was built. Only parts of the Basilica architecture have been discovered.
The Ammon Zeus temple was one of the most important ancient Greek worship sites dedicated to Zeus. The Afitians, to whom the temple belonged, had Zeus' head pictured on their city coins. It seems that during the Byzantine era, the region was deserted and it was at around the 1st millennium that the small temple (4X2,70m) was built. The ruins of this temple were discovered at the small plateau above the Nymph cave entrance. The temple has murals and was naturally built, mainly with the use of material taken from the ancient sanctuaries.
The great glebe of the Agios Pandeleimonas monastery in Mount Athos had already been built there by 1071. In 1863, while involved in expansion works, the monks discovered architectural parts of the sanctuaries and statues. An important number of these findings are conserved today as part of the collection of the Ag. Pandeleimonas monastery in Mount Athos. The Greek Archaeological Authorities began excavations at the sanctuary site in 1969.The findings can be seen at the Polygyros Archeological Museum.
