Kephalion

Kephalion is a classical Greek toponym that appears in a small number of ancient sources. The name derives from kephale, meaning “head,” and in antiquity it was used to denote either a headland or a settlement, depending on the context. In surviving texts, Kephalion occurs in itineraries and geographical compilations with varying identifications, which makes the precise reference uncertain.

Geography and identifications are ambiguous. The toponym is associated with coastal features in the broader Greek world, sometimes described as a projecting headland, other times as a village at an inland crossroads. The fragmentary nature of the sources means there is no single, universally agreed site that can be confidently labeled Kephalion.

Historical usage and transmission. The term appears in late classical and Hellenistic travel literature and geographic collections. Spelling variants include Kephalion and Kephaleion, reflecting transcriptional differences in the manuscript tradition. Editors often note the ambiguity of the reference, and the name is frequently left without a precise geographical anchor.

Interpretation in modern scholarship. Scholars generally treat Kephalion as a toponymic label rather than a well-documented locality. Where specific identifications have been proposed, they tend to be tentative and not universally accepted. The lack of decisive inscriptions or archaeological corroboration leaves the exact location and nature of Kephalion open to debate.

See also. Kephale (head) and Greek toponymy.