The castle was built already in Byzantine times, and was of strategic importance as it lay at the mouth of the mountain pass (droungos) leading from the coastal plains of Elis to Skorta and the interior of the peninsula. The origin of the Greek name is unclear, including proposals that it means "mountain cage", or linking it with Herakles, although no sanctuary of his is known to have existed in the area. Similarly, the Western name in its various forms (Bucel[l]et, Bucello, Polcellecto, Porcelle, Bucel[l]etto) is of unclear origin.