Listed 62 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for wider area of: "FTHIOTIDA Province GREECE" .
ALOPI (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
Eth. Alopites, Alopeus. A town of Phthiotis in Thessaly, placed by Stephanus between
Larissa Cremaste and Echinus. There was a dispute among the ancient critics whether
this town was the same as the Alope in Homer.
ALPINI (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
Alpeni (Alpenoi, Herod. vii. 176; Alpenos polis, Herod. vii. 216: Eth. Alpenos),
a town of the Epicnemidii Locri at the E. entrance of the pass of Thermopylae.
ANTRON (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
Antron (Hom. Strab.), Antrones (Dem.): Eth. Antronios. A town of Thessaly in the
district Phthiotis, at the entrance of the Maliac gulf, and opposite Oreus in
Euboea. It is mentioned in the Iliad (ii. 697) as one of the cities of Protesilaus,
and also in the Homeric hymn to Demeter (489) as under the protection of that
goddess. It was purchased by Philip of Macedon, and was taken by the Romans in
their war with Perseus. (Dem. Phil. iv. p. 133, Reiske; Liv. xlii. 42, 67.) It
probably owed its long existence to the composition of its rocks, which furnished
some of the best millstones in Greece; hence the epithet of petreeis given to
it in the hymn to Demeter. Off Antron was a sunken rock (herma nphalon) called
the Onos Antronos, or mill-stone of Antron. (Strab. p. 435; Steph. B. s. v.; Hesych.
s. v. Mnle; Eustath. in Il. l. c.; Leake, Northern Greece, vol. iv. p. 349.)
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CHIN (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
Chen (Steph. B. s. v.), Chenai (Paus., Diod.): Eth. Cheneus, Chenieus.
The birthplace of Myson, whom Plato and others mention as one of the Seven Sages
of Greece. (Plat. Protag. p. 343, a.) There was a dispute among the ancients respecting
this place, some placing it in Thessaly at the foot of Mt. Oeta, and others in
Laconia (Diog. Laert. i. 106); but the balance of authorities is in favour of
the former of these two situations. Pausanias (x. 24. § 1) calls it a village
on Mt. Oeta; and Diodorus (Excerpt. de Virt. et Vit. p. 235) describes Myson as
a Malian, who dwelt in the village of Chenae. Stephanus B., on the other hand,
places Chen in Laconia. It has been conjectured that this confusion may have arisen
from the colony which the Lacedaemonians founded in the district of Oeta. (Thuc.
iii. 92.)
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DRYOPIS (Ancient country) FTHIOTIDA
ECHINOUS (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
Echinos: Eth. Echinaieus (Polyb. ix. 41). A town of Phthiotis in Thessaly,
situated upon the Maliac gulf, between Lamia and Larissa Cremaste, in a fertile
district. (Strab. ix.; Polyb. ix. 41; comp. Aristoph. Lysist. 1169.) It was said
to derive its name from Echion, who sprang from the dragon's teeth. (Scymn. Ch.
602; comp. Steph. B. s. v.) Demosthenes says that Echinus was taken by Philip,
the father of Alexander the Great, from the Thebans (Dem. Phil. iii. p. 120);
but whether he means the Thessalian town, or the one in Acarnania of the same
name, is uncertain. At a later time we find the Thessalian Echinus in the hands
of the Aetolians, from whom it was taken by the last Philip, after a siege of
some length. (Polyb. ix. 41, seq., xvii. 3, xviii. 21; Liv. xxxii. 33, xxxiv.
23.) Strabo mentions it as one of the Grecian cities which had been destroyed
by an earthquake. (Strab. i.) Its site is marked by the modern village of Akhino,
which is only a slight, corruption of the ancient name. The modern village stands
upon the side of a hill, the summit of which was occupied by the ancient Acropolis.
Dodwell remarks that it appears as well from its situation as its works, to have
been a place of great strength, Opposite the Acropolis, at the distance of a few
hundred paces, is a hill, where there are some ruins, and foundations of large
blocks, probably a temple.
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LAMIA (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
Eth. Lamieus: Zituini. A town of the Malienses, though afterwards
separated from them, situated in the district Phthiotis in Thessaly. Strabo describes
Lamia as situated above the plain which lies at the foot of the Maliac gulf, at
the distance of 30 stadia from the Spercheius, and 50 stadia from the sea (ix.).
Livy says that it was placed on a height distant seven miles from Heracleia, of
which it commnanded the prospect (xxxvi. 25), and on the route which led from
Thermopylae through the passes of Phthiotis to Thaumaci (xxxii. 4). Strabo further
relates that it was subject to earthquakes (i.). Lamia is celebrated in history
on account of the war which the Athenians and the confederate Greeks carried on
against Antipater in B.C. 323. Antipater was at first unsuccessful, and took refuge
in Lamia, where he was besieged for some time by the allies. From this circumstance
this contest is usually called the Lamian war. Having afterwards received suecours
from Graterus, Antipater retreated northwards, and defeated the allies at the
battle of Crannon in the following year. (Diod. xviii. 9, seq.; Polyb. ix. 29.)
In B.C. 208 Philip, son of Demetrius, defeated the Aetolians near Lamia. (Liv.
xxvii. 30.) In 192 Lamia opened its gates to Antiochus (Liv. xxxv. 43), and was
in consequence besieged in the following year by Philip, who was then acting in
conjunction with the Romans. (Liv. xxxvi. 25.) On this occasion Livy mentions
the difficulty which the Macedonians experienced in mining the rock, which was
siliceous ( in asperis locis silex saepe impenetrabilis ferro occurrebat ). In
190 the town was taken by the Romans. (Liv. xxxvii. 4,5.) Lamia is mentioned by
Pliny (iv. 7. s. 14), and was also in existence in the sixth century. (Hierocl.
p. 642, ed. Wesseling.) The site of Lamia is fixed at Zituni, both by the description
of the ancient writers of the position of Lamia, and by an inscription which Paul
Lucas copied at this place. Zituni is situated on a hill, and is by nature a strongly
fortified position. The only remains of the ancient city which Leake discovered
were some pieces of the walls of the Acropolis, forming a part of those of the
modern castle, and some small remains of the town walls at the foot of the hill,
beyond the extreme modern houses to the eastward. On the opposite side of the
town Leake noticed a small river, which, we learn from Strabo (ix.), was called
Achelous. The port of Malia was named Phalara (ta Phalara, Strab. ix. ; Polyb.
xx. 11; Liv. xxvii. 30, xxxv. 43; Plin. iv. 7. s. 12), now Stylidha. Zituni has
been compared to Athens, with its old castle, or acropolis, above, and its Peiraeeus
at Stylidha, on the shore below. There is a fine view from the castle, commanding
the whole country adjacent to the head of the Maliac gulf.
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MAKRAKOMI (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
A place mentioned by Livy (xxxii. 13) along with Sperchiae. Its position is uncertain,
but it was perhaps a town of the Aenianes.
NARTHAKION (Ancient city) LAMIA
Narthakion: Eth. Narthakieus. The name of a city and mountain of Phthiotis
in Thessaly, in the neighbourhood of which Agesilaus, on his return from Asia
in B.C. 394, gained a victory over the Thessalian cavalry. The Thessalians, after
their defeat, took refuge on Mount Narthacium, between which and a place named
Pras, Agesilaus set up a trophy. On the following day he crossed the mountains
of the Achaean Phthiotis. (Xen. Hell. iv. 3. 3 - 9 ; Ages. 2. §§ 3 - 5 ; Plut.
Apophth. p. 211; Diod. xiv. 82.) Narthacium is accordingly placed by Leake and
Kiepert south of Pharsalus in the valley of the Enipeus; and the mountain of this
name is probably the one which rises immediately to the southward of Fersala.
Leake supposes the town of Narthacium to have been on the mountain not far from
upper Tjaterli, and Pras near lower Tjaterli. (Northern Greece, vol. iv. p. 471,
seq.) The town Narthacium is mentioned by Ptolemy (iii. 13. § 46), and should
probably be restored in a passage of Strabo (ix. p. 434), where in the MS. there
is only the termination.
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NIKEA (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
Nicaea (Nikaia: Eth. Nikaieus), a fortress of the Locri Epicnemidii,
situated upon the sea, and close to the pass of Thermopylae. It is described by
Aeschines as one of the places which commanded the pass. (De Fals. Leg. p. 45,
ed. Steph.) It was the first Locrian town after Alpenos, the latter being at the
very entrance of the pass. The surrender of Nicaea by Phalaecus to Philip, in
B.C. 346, made the Macedonian king master of Thermopylae, and brought the Sacred
War to an end. (Diod. xvi. 59.) Philip kept possession of it for some time, but
subsequently gave it to the Thessalians along with Magnesia. (Dem. Phil. ii. p.
153, ed. Reiske; Aesch. c. Ctesiph. p. 73, ed. Steph.) But in B.C. 340 we again
find Nicaea in the possession of Philip. (Dern. in Phil. Ep. p. 153.) According
to Memnon (ap. Phot. p. 234, a., ed. Bekker; c. 41; ed. Orelli) Nicaea was destroyed
by the Phocians, and its inhabitants founded the Bithynian Nicaea. But even if
this is true, the town must have been rebuilt soon afterwards, since we find it
in the hands of the Aetolians during the Roman wars in Greece. (Polyb. x. 42,
xvii. 1; Liv. xxviii. 5, xxxii. 32.) Subsequently the town is only mentioned by
Strabo (ix. p. 426). Leake identifies Nicaea with the castle of Pundonitza, where
there are Hellenic remains. (Northern Greece, vol. ii. p. 5, seq.)
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OITI (Mountain) FTHIOTIDA
Oeta (Oite: Eth. Oitaios), a mountain in the south of Thessaly, which
branches off from Mt. Pindus,: runs in a south-easterly direction, and forms the
northern barrier of Central Greece. The only entrance into Central Greece from
the north is through the narrow opening left between Mt. Oeta and the sea, celebrated
as the pass of Thermopylae. Mt. Oeta is now called Katavothra, and its highest
summit is 7071 feet. (Journal of Geogr. Soc. vol. vii. p. 94.) The mountain immediately
above Thermopylae is called Callidromon both by Strabo and Livy. (Strab. ix. p.
428; Liv. xxxvi. 15.) The latter writer says that Callidromon is the highest summit
of Mt. Oeta; and Strabo agrees with him in describing the summit nearest to Thermopylae
as the highest part of the range; but in this opinion they were both mistaken,
Mt. Patriotiko, which lies more to the west, being considerably higher. Strabo
describes the proper Oeta as 200 stadia in length. It is celebrated in mythology
as the scene of the death of Hercules, whence the Roman poets give to this hero
the epithet of Oetaeus. From this mountain the southern district of Thessaly was
called Oetaea (Oitaia, Strab. ix. pp. 430, 432, 434), and its inhabitants Oetaei
(Oitaioi, Herod. vii. 217; Thuc. iii. 92; Strab. ix. p. 416). There was also a
city, Oeta, said to have been founded by Amphissus, son of Apollo and Dryope (Anton.
Liberal. c. 32), which Stephanus B. (s. v.) describes as a city of the Malians.
Leake places it at the foot of Mt. Patriotiko, and conjectures that it was the
same as the sacred city mentioned by Callimachus. (Hymn. in Del. 287.) (Leake,
Northern Greece, vol. ii. p. 4, seq.)
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OTHRYS (Mountain chain) STEREA HELLAS
Othrys (he Othrus), a lofty chain of mountains, which shuts in the
plain of Thessaly from the south. It branches off from Mount Tymphrestus, a summit
in the range of Pindus, and runs nearly due east through Phthiotis to the sea
coast, thus separating the waters which flow into the Peneius from those of the
Spercheius. (Strab. ix. pp. 432, 433; comp. Herod. vii. 129; Plin. iv. 8. s. 15.)
On its northern side, many offshoots extend into the plain of Pharsalus. It is
lofty and covered with wood, whence the poets give it the epithet of nivalis (Virg.
Aen. vii. 675) and nenierosus (Lucan vi.337). It is now usually called Gura, from
a large village of this name upon its sides; but its highest summit, which lies
to the east of this village, is named Jeracovouni, and is 5669 feet above the
level of the sea. The subsoil of the whole range is a limestone of various and
highly-inclined strata occasionally mixed with iron ore, amyanthe and asbestos.
(Leake, Northern Greece, vol. ii. p. 17, vol. iv. p. 330, seq.; Journal of Geogr.
Society, vol. vii. p. 92.)
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THERMOPYLES (Historic place) LAMIA
Thermopulai, or simply Pylae (Pulai). That is, the Hot Gates or the
Gates, a celebrated narrow pass, leading from Thessaly into Locris, and the only
road by which an enemy can penetrate from northern into southern Greece. It lay
between Mount Oeta and an inaccessible morass, forming the edge of the Maliac
gulf. In consequence of the change in the course of the rivers, and in the configuration
of the coast, this pass is now very different from its condition in ancient times;
and it is therefore necessary first to give the statement of Herodotus and other
ancient writers respecting the locality, and then to compare it with its present
state. In the time of Herodotus the river Spercheius flowed into the sea in an
easterly direction at the town of Anticyra, considerably W. of the pass. Twenty
stadia E. of the Spercheius was another river, called Dyras, and again, 20 stadia
further, a third river, named Melas, 5 stadia from which was the city Trachis.
Between the mountains where Trachis stands and the sea the plain is widest. Still
further E. was the Asopus, issuing from a rocky gorge (diasphaz), and E. again
is a small stream, named Phoenix, flowing into the Asopus. From the Phoenix to
Thermopylae the distance, Herodotus says, is 15 stadia. (Herod. vii. 198 - 200.)
Near the united streams of the Phoenix and the Asopus, Mt. Oeta approached so
close to the morass of the gulf as to leave space for only a single carriage.
In the immediate vicinity of the pass is the town of Anthela, celebrated for the
temples of Amphictyon and of the Amphictyonic Demeter, containing seats for the
members of the Amphicytonic council, who held here their autumnal meetings. At
Anthela Mount Oeta recedes a little from the sea, leaving a plain a little more
than half a mile in breadth, but again contracts near Alpeni, the first town of
the Locrians, where the space is again only sufficient for a single carriage.
At this pass were some hot springs, which were consecrated to Hercules (Strab.
ix. p. 428), and were called by the natives Chytri or the Pans, on account of
the cells here prepared for the bathers. Across this pass the Phocians had in
ancient times built a wall to defend their country against the attacks of the
Thessalians, and had let. loose the hot water, so as to render the pass impracticable.
(Herod. vii. 200, 176.) It appears from this description that the proper Thermopylae
was the narrow pass near the Locrian town of Alpeni; but the name was also applied
in general to the whole passage from the mouth of the Asopus to Alpeni. Taking
the term in this acceptation, Thermopylae consisted of the two narrow openings,
with a plain between them rather more than a mile in length and about half a mile
in breadth. That portion of Mt. Oeta, which rises immediately above Thermopylae
is called Callidromon by Livy and Strabo, but both writers are mistaken in describing
it as the highest part of the range. Livy says that the pass is 60 stadia in breadth.
(Liv. xxxvi. 15; Strab. ix. p. 428.)
In consequence of the accumulation of soil brought down by the Spercheius
and the other rivers, three or four miles of new land have been formed, and the
mountain forming the gates of Thermopylae is no longer close to the sea. Moreover,
the Spercheius, instead of flowing into the sea in an easterly direction, considerably
W. of Thermopylae, now continues its course parallel to the pass and at the distance
of a mile from it, falling into the sea lower down, to the E. of the pass. The
rivers Dyras, Melas, and Asopus, which formerly reached the sea by different mouths,
now discharge their waters into the Spercheius. In addition to this there has
been a copious deposit from the warm springs, and a consequent formation of new
soil in the pass itself. The present condition of the pass has been described
by Colonel Leake with his usual clearness and accuracy. Upon entering the western
opening, Leake crossed a stream of warm mineral water, running with great rapidity
towards the Spercheius, and leaving a great quantity of red deposit. This is undoubtedly
the Phoenix, which probably derived its name from the colour of the sediment.
After crossing a second salt-spring, which is the source of the Phoenix, and a
stream of cold salt water, Leake entered upon that which Herodotus calls the plain
of Anthela, which is a long triangular slope, formed of a hard gravelly soil,
and covered with shrubs. There is an easy descent into this plain over the mountains,
so that the western opening was of no importance in a military point of view.
Upon reaching the eastern pass, situated at the end of the plain of Anthela, the
traveller reaches a white elevated soil formed by the deposit of the salt-springs
of the proper Thermopylae. There are two principal sources of these springs, the
upper or western being immediately at the foot of the highest part of the cliffs,
and the lower or eastern being 200 yards distant. From the lower source the water
is conducted in an artificial canal for a distance of 400 yards to a mill. This
water emits a strong sulphureous vapour, and, as it issues from the mill, it pours
out a great volume of smoke. Beyond the hill are conical heights, and in their
neighbourhood are two salt ponds, containing cold water; but as this water is
of the same composition as the hot springs, it is probably also hot at its issue.
Leake observes that the water of these pools, like that of the principal hot source,
is of a dark blue colour, thus illustrating the remark of Pausanias, that the
bluest water he ever saw was in one of the baths at Thermopylae. (Paus. iv. 35.
§ 9.) The springs at this pass are much hotter, and have left a far greater deposit
than those at the other end of the plain, at the opening which may be called the
false Thermopylae. Issuing from the pass are foundations of a Hellenic wall, doubtless
the remains of works by which the pass was at one time fortified; and to the left
is a tumulus and the foundations of a circular monument. Upwards of a mile further
is a deep ravine, in which the torrents descending from Mt. Callidromon, are collected
into one bed, and which afford the easiest and most direct passage to the summit
of the mountain. This is probably the mountain path by which the Persians, under
Hydarnes, descended in the rear of Leonidas and his companions. This path, as
well as the mountain over which it leads, is called Anopaea (he Anopaia) by Herodotus,
who does not use the name of Callidromon. He describes the path as beginning at
the gorge of the Asopus, passing over the crest of the mountain, and terminating
near Alpeni and the rock called Melampygus, and the seats of the Cercopes, where
the road is narrowest. (Herod. vii. 216.) The history of the defence of Thermopylae
by Leonidas is too well known to require to be related here. The wall of the Phocians,
which Leonidas repaired, was probably built a little eastward of the western salt-spring.
When the Spartan king learnt that Hydarnes was descending in his rear, he advanced
beyond the wall into the widest part of the pass, resolved to sell his life as
dearly as possible. Upon the arrival of Hydarnes, the Greeks retired behind the
wall, and took up their position upon a hill in the pass (kolonos en tei eisodoi),
where a stone lion was afterwards erected in honour of Leonidas. This hill Leake
identifies with the western of the two small heights already described, as nearest
to the position of the Phocian wall, and the narrowest part of the pass. The other
height is probably the rock Melampygus.
Thermopylae is immortalised by the heroic defence of Leonidas; but
it was also the scene of some important struggles in later times. In B.C. 279
an allied army of the Greeks assembled in the pass to oppose the Gauls under Brennus,
who were marching into southern Greece with the view of pillaging the temple of
Delphi. The Greeks held their ground for several days against the attacks of the
Gauls, till at length the Heracleotae and Aenianes conducted the invaders across
Mount Callidromon by the same path which Hydarnes had followed two centuries before.
The Greeks, finding their position no longer tenable, embarked on board their
ships and retired without further loss. (Paus. x. 19 - 22.) In B.C. 207, when
the Romans were carrying on war in Greece against Philip, king of Macedonia, the
Aetolians, who were then in alliance with the Romans, fortified Thermopylae with
a ditch and a rampart, but Philip shortly afterwards forced his way through the
pass. (Liv. xxviii. 5, 7; Polyb. x. 41.) In B.C. 181, Antiochus, who was then
at war with the Romans, took up his position at Thermopylae, which he fortified
with a double rampart, a ditch, and a wall; and, in order to prevent the Romans
from crossing the mountains and descending upon his rear, he garrisoned with 2000
Aetolians the three summits, named Callidromum, Teichius, and Rhoduntia. The consul
Acilius sent some troops against these fortresses and at the same time attacked
the army of Antiochus in the pass. While the battle was going on in the pass,
the Roman detachment, which had succeeded in taking Callidromum, appeared upon
the heights, threatening the king's rear, in consequence of which Antiochus immediately
took to flight. (Liv. xxxvi. 15 - 19.) There are still. remains of three Hellenic
fortresses upon the heights above Thermopylae, which probably represent the three
places mentioned by Livy. Appian (Syr. 17) speaks only of Callidromum and Teichius,
but Strabo (ix. p. 428) mentions Rhoduntia also. Procopius relates that the fortifications
of Thermopylae. were restored by Justinian (de Aed. iv. 2).
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TRACHIS (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
Eth. Trachinios. A city of Malis, in the district called after, it
Trachinia. It stood in a plain at the foot of Mt. Oeta, a little to the N. or
rather W. of Thermopylae, and derived its name from the rocks which surrounded
the plain. It commanded the approach to Thermopylae from Thessaly, and was, from
its position, of great military importance. (Herod. vii. 176; Strab. ix. p. 428;
Steph. B. s. v.) The entrance to the Trachinian plain was only half a plethrum
in breadth, but the surface of the plain was 22,000 plethra, according to Herodotus.
The same writer states that the city Trachis was 5 stadia from the river Melas,
and that the river Asopus issued from a gorge in the mountains, to the S. of Trachis.
(Herod. vii. 198.) According to Thucydides, Trachis was 40 stadia from Thermopylae
and 20 from the sea (Thuc. iii. 92.) Trachin is mentioned in Homer as one of the
cities subject to Achilles (Il. ii. 682), and is celebrated in the legends of
Hercules as the scene of this hero's death. (Soph. Trach. passim.) It became a
place of historical importance in consequence of the colony founded here by the
Lacedaemonians in the sixth year of the Peloponnesian War, B.C. 426. The Trachinians
and the neighbouring Dorians, who suffered much from the predatory incursions
of the Oetaean mountaineers, solicited aid from the Spartans, who eagerly availed
themselves of this opportunity to plant a strong colony in this commanding situation.
They issued an invitation to the other states of Greece to join in the colony;
and as many as 10,000 colonists, under three Spartan oecists, built and fortified
a new town, to which the name of HERACLEIA was given, from the great hero, whose
name was so closely associated with the surrounding district. (Thuc. iii. 92;
Diod. xii. 59.) It was usually called the Trachinian Heracleia, to distinguish
it from other places of the same name, and by later writers Heracleia in Phthiotis,
as this district was subsequently included in the Thessalian Phthiotis. (Herakleia
he en Trachiniai, Xen. Hell. i. 2. 18: Diod. xii. 77, xv. 57; Herakleotai hoi
en Trachini, Thuc. v. 51; He. He. he Trachin kaloumene proteron, Strab. ix. p.
428; Heraclea Trachin dicta, Plin. iv. 7. s. 14; H. Phthiotidos, Ptol. iii. 13.
§ 46.) The new colonists also built a port with docks near Thermopylae. It was
generally expected that this city. under the protection of Sparta, would become
a formidable power in Northern Greece, but it was attacked from the beginning
by the Thessalians, who regarded its establishment as an invasion of their territory;
and the Spartans, who rarely succeeded in the government of dependencies, displayed
haughtiness and corruption in its administration. Hence the city rapidly dwindled
down; and in B.C. 420 the Heracleots were defeated with great loss by the neighbouring
Thessalian tribes, and Xenares, the Lacedaemonian governor, was slain in the battle.
Sparta was unable at the time to send assistance to their colony; and in the following
year the Boeotians, fearing lest the place should fall into the hands of the Athenians,
took possession of it, and dismissed the Lacedaemonian governor, on the ground
of misconduct. (Thuc. v. 51, 52.) The Lacedaemonians, however, regained possession
of the place; and in the winter of B.C. 409 - 408, they experienced here another
disaster, 700 of the Heracleots being slain in battle, together with the Lacedaemonian
harmost. (Xen. Hell. i. 3. 18) But, after the Peloponnesian War, Heracleia again
rose into importance, and became the head-quarters of the Spartan power in Northern
Greece. In B.C. 399 Herippidas, the Lacedaemonian, was sent thither to repress
some factious movements in Heracleia; and he not only put to death all the opponents
of the Lacedaemonians in the town, but expelled the neighbouring Oetaeans and
Trachinians. from their abodes. (Diod. xiv. 38; Polyaen. ii. 21.) In B.C. 395
the Thebans, under the command of Ismenias, wrested this important place from
the Spartans, killed the Lacedaemonian garrison, and gave the city to the old
Trachinian and Oetaean inhabitants. (Diod. xiv. 82.) The walls of Heracleia were
destroyed by Jason, lest any state should seize this place and prevent him from
marching into Greece. (Xen. Hell. vi. 4. 27) At a later time Heracleia came into
the hands of the Aetolians, and was one of the main sources of their power in
Northern Greece. After the defeat of Antiochus at Thermopylae, B.C. 191, Heracleia
was besieged by the Roman consul Acilius Glabrio, who divided his army into four
bodies, and directed his attacks upon four points at once; one body being stationed
on the river Asopus, where was the gymnasium; the second near the citadel outside
of the walls (extra muros), which was almost more thickly inhabited than the city
itself; the third towards the Maliac gulf; and the fourth on the river Melas,
opposite the temple of Diana. The country around was marshy, and abounded in lofty
trees. After a siege of twenty-four days the Romans succeeded in taking the town,
and the Aetolians retired to the citadel. On the following day the consul seized
a rocky summit, equal to the citadel in height, and separated from it only by
a chasm so narrow that the two summits were within reach, of a missile. Thereupon
the Aetolians surrendered the citadel. (Liv. xxxvi. 24.) Leake remarks that it
seems quite clear from this account of Livy that the city occupied the low ground
between the rivers Karvunaria (Asopus) and Mavra-Neria (Melas), extending from
the one to the other, as well as a considerable distance into the plain in a south-eastern
direction. There are still some vestiges of the citadel upon a lofty rock above;
and upon its perpendicular sides there are many catacombs excavated. The distance
of the citadel above the town justifies the words extra muros, which Livy applies
to it, and may explain also the assertion of Strabo, that Heracleia was six stadia
distant from the ancient Trachis; for, although the town of Heracleia seems to
have occupied the same position as the Trachis of Herodotus, the citadel, which,
according to Livy, was better inhabited in the Aetolian War than the city, may
very possibly have been the only inhabited part of Heracleia two centuries later.
(Leake, Northern Greece, vol. ii. pp. 26 - 29.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited June 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
XYNIA (Ancient city) YPATI
Xyniae (Xunia: Eth. Xunieus). A town near the southern confines of
Thessaly, and the district of the Aenianes (Liv. xxxiii. 3), which gave its name
to the lake Xynias (Xunias), which Stephanus confounds with the Boebeis (Apollon.
Rhod. i. 67; Catull. lxiii. 287; Steph. B. s. v. Xunia). Xynia, having been deserted
by its inhabitants, was plundered by the Aetolians in B.C. 198 (Liv. xxxii. 13).
In the following year Flamininus arrived at this place in three days' march from
Heraclea (Liv. xxxiii. 3; comp. Liv. xxxix. 26). The lake of Xynias is now called
Taukli, and is described as 6 miles in circumference. The site of the ancient
city is marked by some remains of ruined edifices upon a promontory or peninsula
in the lake. (Leake, Northern Greece, vol. i. p. 460, vol. iv. p. 517.)
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YPATI (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
he Hupate, ta Hupata: Eth. Hupataios, Hypataeus, also Hupateus. The
chief town of the Aenianes, in the valley of the Spercheius, and at the foot of
Mt. Oeta. In the Roman wars in Greece it belonged to the Aetolian league. (Polyb.
xx. 9, 11, xxi. 2, 3; Liv. xxxvi. 14, 26.) The women of Hypata, as of many other
Thessalian towns, were noted for their skill in magic; and it was here that Lucius,
in the story of Lucian, was metamorphosed into an ass. (Lucian, Asin. 1, seq.;.
comp. Apul. Metam. i. p. 104; Theophr. H. Plant. ix. 2.) The town is mentioned
by Hierocles in the 6th century. (Hierocl. p. 642, ed. Wess.; comp. Ptol. iii.
13. § 45.) It occupied the site of the modern Neopatra, where inscriptions have
been discovered containing the name of Hypata. The town appears to have been called
Neae Patrae in the middle ages, and is mentioned in the 12th century as a strongly
fortified place. (Niceph. Gregor. iv. 9. p. 112, ed. Bonn.) There are still considerable
remains of the ancient town. Leake observed many large quadrangular blocks of
stones and foundations of ancient walls on the heights of Neopatra, as well as
in the buildings of the town. In the metropolitan church he noticed a handsome
shaft of white marble, and on the outside of the wall an inscription in small
characters of the best times. He also discovered an inscription on a broken block
of white marble, lying under a plane-tree near a fountain in the Jewish burying-ground.
(Leake, Northern Greece, vol. ii. p. 14, seq.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited June 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
ALPINI (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
A town of the Epicnemidian Locri, at the entrance of the Pass of Thermopylae. (Alpenoi, Herod. vii. 176; Alpenos polis, Herod. vii. 216: Eth. Alpenos)
ANTHILI (Ancient city) LAMIA
A small town of Thessaly, in the interval between the river
Phoenix and the Straits of Thermopylae, and near the spot where the Asopus flows
into the sea. In the immediate vicinity were the temples of Demeter Amphictyonia,
that of Amphictyon, and the seats of the Amphictyons. It was one of the two places
where the Amphictyonic Council used to meet, the other being Delphi. The place
for holding the assembly here was the temple of Demeter.
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ANTRON (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
A town of Phthiotis in Thessaly, at the entrance to the Sinus Maliacus.
ECHINOUS (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
A town in Thessaly on the Maliac Gulf, said to have derived its name from Echion, who sprang from the dragon's teeth.
FALARA (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
A town of Phthiotis in Thessaly; the harbour of Lamia.
HERAKLIA (Ancient city) LAMIA
Trachinia, a town of Thessaly, founded by the Lacedaemonians,
and a colony from Trachis, about B.C. 426, in the sixth year of the Peloponnesian
War. It was distant about sixty stadia from Thermopylae and twenty from the sea.
Iason, tyrant of Pherae, took possession of this city at one period, and caused
the walls to be pulled down. Heraclea, however, again arose from its ruins, and
became a flourishing city under the Aetolians, who sometimes held their general
council within its walls. It was taken by the Roman consul, Acilius Glabrio, after
a long and obstinate siege.
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Also called Heraclea Trachiniae, or Heraclea Phthiotidis, or simply Heraclea, a town of Thessaly in the district Malis, celebrated as the residence of Heracles for a time.
LAMIA (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
A town in Phthiotis, in Thessaly, situated on the small river
Achelous, fifty stadia inland from the Maliac Gulf. It has given its name to the
war which was carried on by the confederate Greeks against Antipater after the
death of Alexander, B.C. 323. When Antipater was defeated by the confederates
under the command of Leosthenes, the Athenian, he took refuge in Lamia, where
he was besieged for some months. During the siege Leosthenes was killed, and soon
after Antipater, being joined by Craterus, defeated the confederates at Cranon,
ending the war.
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OITI (Mountain) FTHIOTIDA
or Oete (Oite). Now Katavothra; a rugged pile of mountains in
the south of Thessaly, an eastern branch of Mount Pindus, extending along the
southern bank of the Sperchius to the Maliac Gulf at Thermopylae, thus forming
the northern barrier of Greece proper. Respecting the pass of Mount Oeta, see
Thermopylae. Oeta was celebrated in mythology as the mountain on which Heracles
burned himself to death. From this range, the southern part of Thessaly was called
Oetaea (Oitaia).
OTHRYS (Mountain chain) STEREA HELLAS
(Othrus). A lofty range of mountains in the south of Thessaly, extending from Mount Tymphrestus, or the most southerly part of Pindus, to the eastern coast. It shut in the great Thessalian plain on the south.
THERMOPYLES (Historic place) LAMIA
(Thermopulai), or simply Pylae (Pulai). "The Hot Gates,"
or "The Gates." A celebrated pass leading from Thessaly into Locris.
It lay between Mount Oeta and an inaccessible morass, forming the edge of the
Malic Gulf. At one end of the pass, close to Anthela, the mountain approaches
so close to the morass as to leave room for only a single carriage between; this
narrow entrance formed the western gate of Thermopylae. About a mile to the east
the mountain again approached close to the sea, near the Locrian town of Alpeni,
thus forming the eastern gate of Thermopylae. The space between these two gates
was wider and more open, and was distinguished by its abundant flow of hot springs,
which were sacred to Heracles: hence the name of the place. Thermopylae was the
only pass by which an enemy could penetrate from northern into southern Greece;
whence its great importance in Grecian history. It is especially celebrated on
account of the heroic defence of Leonidas and the 300 Spartans against the mighty
host of Xerxes in B.C. 480; and they only fell through the Persians having discovered
a path over the mountains, and thus being enabled to attack the Greeks in the
rear. This mountain path commenced from the neighbourhood of Trachis, ascended
the gorge of the river Asopus and the hill called Anopaea, then crossed the crest
of Oeta, and descended in the rear of Thermopylae near the town of Alpeni.
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TRACHIS (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
A town of Phocis, on the frontiers of Boeotia, and on the slope of Mount Helicon in the neighbourhood of Lebadea.
GORGOPOTAMOS (Municipality) FTHIOTIDA
ARGYROCHORI (Village) YPATI
MESSOCHORI (Village) YPATI
THERMOPYLES (Historic place) LAMIA
Perseus Encyclopedia
THERMOPYLES (Historic place) LAMIA
ECHINOUS (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
A titular see of Thessaly,
Greece. Echinus, (Echinos, also
Echinous) was situated on the northern shore of the Gulf of Lamia (Maliacus
Sinus). Today it is a small village, Akkhinos (Achinos),
in the demos of Phalara and
the eparchy of Phthiotis.
On the conical hill which rises above the village are remains of the old walls.
The city has been destroyed by earthquakes and rebuilt many times,
particularly in 426 B.C. and A.D. 551. Philip II of Macedon left it to the Malians,
and Philip V took it from the Aetolians. It was fortified by Justinian, The see
was a suffragan of Larissa.
S. Petrides, ed.
Transcribed by: Beth Ste-Marie
This extract is cited June 2003 from The Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent online edition URL below.
THERMOPYLES (Historic place) LAMIA
A titular see and suffragan of Athens.
It is the name of a defile about 4 miles long, whose principal passage was barred
by a wall, which the Phocidians erected against the Thessalians in the sixth century
B.C. It receives its name from two hot springs called today Loutra (the baths).
There in the month of July, 480 B.C., Leonidas, King of Sparta,
with 1300 Spartan soldiers and allies fell with his men while bravely opposing
the enormous army of Xerxes. In 279 B.C. Brennus with 170,000 Gauls penetrated
into Greece by this pass;
it was there also that Antiochus III, King of Syria,
was defeated by the Romans in 191 B.C., and where in A.D. 395 Alaric, King of
the Goths, passed on his way to devastate Greece.
In the sixth century Justinian restored the fortifications.
After the Latins in 1204 had overthrown the Byzantine Empire, Thermopylae
was made a Latin diocese. Today it is known as Lycostomos on the bank of the Maliac
Gulf in the district of Phthiotis.
S. Vailhe, ed.
Transcribed by: John D. Beetham
This extract is cited June 2003 from The Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent online edition URL below.
FALARA (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
A city of Malis which served as the port for Lamia. It was destroyed
in an earthquake (Demetrios of Kallatis, ap. Strab. 1.20) possibly in 426 or 427
B.C. (Thuc. 3.89; Diod. Sic. 12.59) but perhaps later, according to Bequignon.
In 208 B.C. ambassadors came here to ask Philip V to conclude a peace with the
Aitolians (Livy 27.30.3, where Phalara is characterized as formerly prosperous
on account of its remarkable port and roadstead, as well as other marine and land
advantages). It appears as the port of Lamia again in 192 B.C. (Livy 35.43.8)
and 191 B.C. (Livy 36.29.4) when it was used by Antiochus III.
The city was near Lamia (Steph. Byz. s.v.). According to Strabo (9.435)
it was 20 stades from the mouth of the Spercheios, 50 stades from (Lamia, generally
restored) and 100 stades by sea from Echinos. On these figures, Stahlin placed
it near Imir-bey (modern Anthili) and supposed the remains to have been covered
by the silt of the Spercheios. Most scholars have disregarded Strabo and place
it at Stylis, or Stylidha, which is still used as a harbor for Lamia. This town
is on the N shore of the Malian Gulf, ca. 18 km E of Lamia, at the head of a shallow
bay. About one km NE of the modern town is a steep oval hill with a Chapel of
Prophet Elias on it. Around the top of the hill are the remains of an oval wall
circuit very poorly preserved. One section on the E side is of polygonal masonry;
the rest was built of rectangular blocks, in two faces with a filling of stones.
The perimeter was ca. 330 m.
Just to the W of Stylidha, near the Churches of Haghia Triadha and
Haghios Kyriakos is a long section (ca. 150 m, according to Bequignon) of a wall
running N-S with a setback every 12 to 18 m. It was originally 3 m wide, and in
the 1930s (when it was being used as a quarry) was preserved in one place to two
courses high. It is built of large rectangular and trapezoidal rough-faced blocks.
Bequignon supposed it to be the wall built by Leosthenes during his siege of Lamia
in 323 B.C. to cut off supplies from the city (Diod. Sic. 18.13.3). The wall,
however, looks rather too massive and carefully built for this to be likely. To
the E of Stylidha on the sea are reported to be some remains built with mortar
(Roman?), interpreted by Pappadakis as baths.
No reasonable identification save Phalara seems to have been advanced
for the Stylidha site.
T. S. Mackay, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
HERAKLIA (Ancient city) LAMIA
A city situated at the beginning of the Malian plain on the gulf of
the same name and on the road from Brallo to Lamia, slightly W of the gorge of
the Asopos, S of Lamia.
Founded in 426 B.C. by the Spartans as a strategic post on the Pass
of Thermopylai (Thuc. 3.92), Herakleia dominated the low valley of the Spercheios,
replacing ancient Trachis where Herakles had taken refuge in exile. It was named
after the Dorian hero. Its neighbors (Boiotia) contended with Sparta for the city,
which thereafter was attacked and razed by Jason of Pherai in 371 (Xen. Hell.
6.4.27; Diod. 15.57.2). It joined the Delphic Amphictyony, then the Aitolian League,
aiding Antiochos in his struggle against Acilius Glabrio.
The site is established by JG IX.2.1 and by Vardates' manumission.
It lay in the plain between the ravines of the Asopos and Skliphomeli, where sections
of the rampart have been found and even 10 isodomic courses of a wall. Inside
it is a 55 m stretch of aqueduct; the gymnasium (Liv. 36.22) apparently was situated
near the road to Brallo. Neither the tomb of Deianira (Paus. 2.23.5) nor the Sanctuary
of Artemis (Liv. 36.22) has been located. Both sides of Skliphomeli are hollowed
out in many places, the cavities serving as rock tombs.
Y. Bequignon, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Sep 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
MAKRAKOMI (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
A city N of Spercheios, NE of the modern village of Varibopi (less
than an hour on foot), and S of Platystomon. It is mentioned by Livy (30.13.10-14)
when he tells how the Aitolians invaded Thessaly, which had been abandoned by
Philip V in 198 after his defeat on the Aoos. The city was destroyed at this time.
The acropolis, which is elongated in shape, measures 620 m in the
NS axis and 280 m in the WE axis and has a total perimeter of 1550 m (ca. 8 stadia
or 185 m). It is protected by a rampart that follows the outer curve exactly at
a constant level of 440 m. Well preserved to N and S with two to four courses
in elevation, the wall is flanked by square towers 5 m each side, spaced 20-29
m apart. There may have been a gate to the W and another one symmetrical to it
to the E. Inside the rampart are several walls of unknown purpose; halfway up
the hillside are the remains of a necropolis. The city spread out on the NE side
of the hill; four inscriptions, one of which is a dedication to Isis, have been
found on its outskirts. The fortress had strategic value and overlooked the approach
to the valley. From it one can see as far as Hypata.
Y. Bequignon, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
NARTHAKION (Ancient city) LAMIA
Meliteia's neighbor to the S was Narthakion; on the track there, 25 minutes S of the city is a small fort.
OITI (Mountain) FTHIOTIDA
A gigantic limestone wall (Sion) that runs ca. 15 km in a SE direction
parallel to Mt. Othrys and forms the S boundary of the Valley of the Spercheios.
It has two peaks, Oeta proper (2116 m) and Pyrgos (2153 m). Several massifs can
be discerned in the chalk face which rises S of Lamia and measures altogether
35 km from Liascovo to above Thermopylai. Mt. Oeta can be crossed by byroads,
as Strabo says (9.4.14), either W of Hypati, whence the summit can be reached
in 6 hours, or else by way of the valley of the Asopos and Mavrolithari. M. Acilius
Glabrio's action in 191 B.C. provides a clear example: after taking Heraklea he
advanced into the interior of Mt. Oeta and sacrificed at Herakles' funeral pyre.
The legend states, that after defeating Eurytos and seizing Oechalia, Herakles
wished to sacrifice to Zeus and sent his faithful companion, Lichas, to ask Deinaira
for a fresh garment. Deinaira then learned that Herakles, who was madly in love
with Iole, Eurytos' daughter, was in danger of forgetting her, and she stained
the tunic in the blood of Nessos the centaur. This was supposed to be a love potion,
but in fact it was a poison that devoured Herakles' flesh. Deinaira killed herself
at Trachis. Herakles, for his part, entrusted Iole to Lichas' care, then left
Trachis and had a funeral pyre built for himself on Mt. Oeta. Philoktetes finally
set it alight. During the fire thunder was heard: it was Zeus summoning Herakles
up to Olympos.
The site of the pyre was discovered in 1919-21, 1800 m up the mountainside
and a 2-hour journey from Pavliani, less than an hour from Trachis. One can see
the hexagonal-shaped funeral pyre (15-20 m each side) as well as a little Doric
temple and the remains of small monuments. 150 m from the pyre is a stoa (32.5
x 5 m deep) where the faithful and priests could take shelter from storms, which
are frequent in the region. Finally, a small monument may possibly be a Philokteteion:
the hero Philoktetes is said to have consecrated near the funeral pyre his offering
of part of the booty he had seized after the sack of Troy (Soph. Phil. 1431-33).
Archaeological finds are at the Thebes museum in Boiotia.
Y. Bequignon, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
THERMOPYLES (Historic place) LAMIA
A locality on the S side of the Malian Gulf, named partly for the
presence of a hot mineral spring. By more ancient usage it was known simply as
Pylai, the Gates, a name describing its situation at the narrowest point of the
mainland route from the N into central and S Greece. At some time in the post-Mycenaean
period, it became the seat of the Pylaian Amphictyony, a religious assembly of
representatives of the Greek-speaking tribes around the Malian Gulf. This body
later became famous under the less accurate title of Delphic Amphictyony, but
even in the 3d and 2d c. B.C., when its membership consisted largely of proxies
for external powers situated far from the original place of assembly, the more
official name, and the ostensible pattern of membership, continued to reflect
the early tribal settlement of the region around the Malian Gulf.
The Pylaian Amphictyony was a natural focus for the resistance to
the Persian invasion of 480 B.C., and the famous Spartan defense of the pass on
the Kolonos hill, at the narrowest point of the Gates, was probably influenced
by religious as well as tactical considerations. The Gates were again the site
of significant military actions against the Gauls in 279, and against the Romans
in 191 B.C. They continued to be important in Byzantine and even in modern military
planning.
The locality has three main foci of interest: the pass itself, the
Shrine of Demeter at Anthela, where the Amphictyonic council met, and the numerous
fortifications associated with the defense of the pass. The pass, through which
the road at this point ran W-E, lay between the steep slopes of the mountain to
the S and the shore of the Malian Gulf to the N. The extensive silting of the
gulf has now made this an easy passage, but in antiquity the sea came close to
the mountains at three points, and Herodotos called each one a gate. The site
of the Spartan defense is the farthest E; it is marked by a modern monument in
a place that may well have been under water in antiquity. The monument faces the
semi-isolated Kolonos hill where the Spartans stood. Inland from here are the
remains of a rough zigzag, identified as the wall built by the Phokians as a defense
against the Thessalians (Hdt. 7.176). A structure at the SW end of this wall,
which had been identified as a polyandrion, seems rather to be a part of the defense
work. Burials have been found on and around the hill, also some evidence of habitation,
but the most significant discovery was a large number of bronze arrowheads that
could be identified with Persian armament. Most of the finds are in the museum
at Lamia.
Traces of the Pylaian Sanctuary of Demeter at Anthela (Hdt. 7.200)
were discovered in the foothills S of the road, ca. 2.5 km W of the Kolonos. The
only identifiable monuments are a stoa and a stadium, the latter of rough construction
built into a natural depression in the limestone. Of interest is the special construction
at the W end of the stadium designed to keep the winter rains from washing out
the floor. No traces of the Demeter shrine itself have yet been found.
P. A. MacKay, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Sep 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
YPATI (Ancient city) FTHIOTIDA
A city of Ainis, which first appears when it issued coinage of the
Ainianes ca. 400-344 B.C.; from 302 B.C. it was in the Aitolian League. In 191
B.C. it was an Aitolian strong point and its territory laid waste by M' Acilius
Glabrio. It remained with the Aitolians after 189 B.C., but after 168 B.C. was
part of the free League of Ainis, which was finally joined to Thessaly by Augustus
in 27 B.C. (Livy 28.5.15; 36.14.15, 16.4, 26.1, 27.4, 28.8, 29.5; Polyb. 20.9.6,
10.13, 11.5; Livy 37.6.2, 7.1; Polyb. 21.2.7, 3.7, 3.13). The city prospered in
the Roman Imperial period (Apul., Met. 1.5) and was the site of a bishopric in
Christian times. It came to be known as Neai Patrai, an important mediaeval city.
Hypata is located above the Spercheios valley, on the N slope of Oeta,
on a hillside flanked on the W by the Xerias river and on the E by a ravine. The
acropolis hill is a small, rocky peak (661 m) which falls away steeply on all
sides. It is connected to the main mass of Oeta to the S by a narrow saddle. A
road led S over Oeta to Kallipolis. On the acropolis are some remains of the ancient
wall circuit, although these have largely disappeared under later Byzantine and
Frankish walls. Stahlin saw some of the ancient wall on the S side with a gate
giving on the saddle which connects the hill to Oeta. The wall was ca. 4 m thick,
of good 4th-3d c. B.C. masonry. Bequignon noted an ancient Hellenic wall inside
the acropolis on the SE side at right angles to the circuit wall, perhaps the
foundation of some building. modern Hypati is set on a terrace on the steep N
face of the hillside, below the acropolis. It occupies the site of the ancient
city. Stahlin saw traces of the ancient city walls on the N and E sides of this
terrace. Inscriptions and various ancient blocks have been built into the modern
houses. Bequignon saw a marble head and a mutilated relief, and other pieces of
sculpture have been seen. In 1921 a late Roman (?) mosaic was found near the church
of Haghios Nikolaus in the town. Graves have been discovered in the vicinity,
particularly outside the city to the W. At the beginning of the century Giannopoullos
reported an ancient Greek naiskos at Rigoziano (Rogozinon) on the left bank of
the Xerias opposite Hypata's acropolis; this has apparently not been checked since.
Several inscriptions exist relative to Hypata's boundaries (see Stahlin) which
included a considerable amount of the river plain.
T. S. Mackay, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
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