The acropolis high above Amfilochia belongs to ancient Limnaia, a city that rose to fame during the Peloponnesian War. The Spartans wished to subdue Acarnania and remove it from the influence of Athens, so in the summer of 429 BCE they sent ships and 1000 hoplites to achieve their goal. The men of the Spartan admiral Cnemus passed Limnaia on their way to Stratus, the most important city in the region (near present-day Agrinio). Limnaia was unfortified, so it was probably a small community, but it was located astride the main road from Stratos to Ambrakia (present-day Arta) and had a convenient harbour.