Pharai during the Mycenaean period was located in the area of the medieval castle of Kalamata and the adjacent hill “Tourles”. They had developed into an important centre near the eastern border of the extensive political territory administrated by Pylos and the palace of Nestor. Homer mentions Pharai as one of the seven cities that Agamemnon promised to give to Achilles to appease his wrath, while from Strabo and Pausanias we get information about the location of the city and its sanctuaries during the Roman period. During the long occupation of Messenia by Sparta, Thuria and Pharai were perioikic towns and managed on behalf of Sparta the agricultural production in large areas of lowland, inhabited by helots. After the liberation of Messenia (369 BC) the city participated in the new federal formation centrally administrated by ancient Messene, while the Macedonian and Roman politics during the following centuries shaped the political and historical background of the city accordingly.

The building remains of mainly 4th-century B.C. retaining walls and other findings that have been found in the Hypapanti square, attest to the presence of Pharai from Geometric times until late antiquity. Similar architectural and burial remains have been found further south, in the Fragolimna square, to the east, in the area of the monastery of Kalograeon and in the castle of Kalamata. Grave relief stelae, inscriptions, votive offerings, part of a relief sarcophagus and other finds come from the wider area of Kalamata. Some of them are exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Messenia and testify to the historical course of the city.