Polydrosos - Souvala

Polydrosos, also known as Souvala, is one of the main villages of Mount Parnassus, located in the regional unit of Phocis and administratively belonging to the Municipality of Delphi. The village is built at an altitude of 380 meters on the northeastern slopes of Parnassus and lies 38 km from Arachova. Until 1928, its official name was Souvala—still widely used by locals—when it was renamed Polydrosos.

Between Polydrosos and the neighboring village of Lilaia lie the springs of the Boeotian Cephissus River.
The name Souvala originates from the Slavic word Suvala, meaning “marsh”, a term that became widespread during the medieval period across much of Greece. This name refers to the extensive wetland that once formed between the springs of the Boeotian Cephissus in the area known as Alegousa, also called the “Agoriani Marsh.” For centuries, this marsh troubled the local population and gave rise to folk legends about spirits and demons haunting nighttime travelers—legends inspired in reality by swarms of mosquitoes and aquatic animals.

Evidence of human settlement in the area dates back to the Early Helladic period (3rd millennium BC). After the destruction of the Phocian cities in 346 BC by Philip II of Macedon, the ancient city of Lilaia was united with the neighboring city of Erochos, identified today with Agios Vasileios Hill and the area of the Polydrosos cemetery. The city walls were most likely constructed during the post-Philippic reconstruction of the Phocian acropoleis, while traces of earlier fortifications survive at the summit of the acropolis—possibly remnants of Lilaia’s defenses prior to Philip II’s destruction.