Listed 21 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for wider area of: "IMATHIA Province MAKEDONIA CENTRAL" .
VALA (Ancient city) IMATHIA
Balla or Valla (Balla, Steph. B. s. v.; Ouallai, Ptol. iii. 13. §
40: Eth. Ballaios, Steph.; Vallaeus, Plin. iv. 10. s. 17), a town of Macedonia,
placed in Pieria by Ptolemy and Pliny, the inhabitants of which were removed to
Pythium. (Steph. l. c.) As Pythium was in Perrhaebia, at the southwestern foot
of the Pierian mountains, Leake places Balla in the mountainous part of Pieria,
and supposes that Velvendo may have derived its name from it. In that case it
would be a different place from the Bala of the Table, which stood about midway
between Dium and Berrhoea. (Leake, Northern Greece, vol. iii. p. 425.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited July 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
VERIA (Ancient city) VERIA
Beroia, Berrhoia: Eth. Beroaios. Verria. A city of Macedonia, in the
N. part of the province (Plin. iv. 10), in the district called Emathia (Ptol.
iii. 13. § 39), on a river which flows into the Haliacmon, and upon one of the
lower ridges of Mount Bermius (Strab. vii. p. 330). It was attacked, though unsuccessfully,
by the Athenian forces under Callias, B.C. 432. (Thuc. i. 61.) The statement of
Thucydides presents some geographical difficulties, as Beroea lies quite out of
the way of the natural route from Pydna to Potidaea. Mr. Grote (Hist. of Greece,
vol. vi. p. 96) considers that another Beroea, situated somewhere between Gigonus
and Therma, and out of the limits of that Macedonia which Perdiccas governed,
may probably be the place indicated by Thucydides. Any remark from Mr. Grote deserves
the highest consideration; but an objection presents itself against this view.
His argument rests upon the hypothesis that there was another Beroea in Thrace
or in Emathia, though we do not know its exact site. There was a town called Beroea
in Thrace, but we are enabled to fix its position with considerable certainty,
as lying between Philippopolis and Nicopolis, and no single authority is adduced
to show that there was a second Beroea in Thrace between Gigonus and Therma.
Beroea surrendered to the Roman consul after the battle of Pydna (Liv.
xliv. 45), and was assigned, with its territory, to the third region of Macedonia
(xlv. 29). St. Paul and Silas withdrew to this city from Thessalonica; and the
Jewish residents are described as more ingenuous and of a better disposition than
those of the latter place, in that they diligently searched the Scriptures to
ascertain the truth of the doctrines taught by the Apostle. (Acts, xvii. 11.)
Sopater, a native of this town, accompanied St. Paul to Asia. (Acts, xx. 4.) Lucian
(Asinus, 34) describes it as a large and populous town. It was situated 30 M.
P. from Pella (Peut. Tab.), and 51 M. P from Thessalonica (Itin. Anton.), and
is mentioned as one of the cities of the thema of Macedonia. (Constant. de Them.
ii. 2.) For a rare coin of Beroea, belonging to the time of Alexander the Great,
see Rasche, vol. i. p. 1492; Eckhel, vol. ii, p. 69. Verria stands on the E. slope
of the Olympene range of mountains, about 5 miles from the left bank of the Vistritza
or Injekara, just where that river, after having made its way to an immense rocky
ravine through the range, enters the great maritime plain.
Verria contains about 2000 families, and, from its natural and other
advantages, is described as one of the most agreeable towns in Rumili. The remains
of the ancient city are very considerable. Leake (Northern Greece, vol. iii. p.
291), from whom this account of Verria is taken, notices the NW. angle of the
wall, or perhaps of the acropolis; these walls are traceable from that point southward
to two high towers towards the upper part of the modern town, which appears to
have been repaired or rebuilt in Roman or Byzantine times. Only three inscriptions
have been discovered.
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
EGES (Ancient city) IMATHIA
A town in Emathia, in Macedonia, the ancient capital of Macedonia and the burial-place of the Macedonian kings. It was also called Edessa.
VERIA (Ancient city) VERIA
A large city of Macedonia, south of Edessa, and of great antiquity. Reference should be made to the Acts of the Apostles
ALEXANDRIA (Municipality) IMATHIA
MAKEDONIDA (Municipality) IMATHIA
MAKEDONIDA (Municipality) IMATHIA
VERIA (Ancient city) VERIA
A titular see of Macedonia,
at the foot of Mount Bermios,
now Doxa; it still preserves its ancient name, pronounced Veria by the Greeks.
The Romans captured it after the battle of Pydna
(168 b.c.) and from 49 to 48 Pompey took up his winter quarters there. In its
Jewish synagogue St. Paul preached successfully; on withdrawing he left at Beroea
his disciples Silas and Timothy. Onesiums, formerly Philemon's slave, was its
first bishop according to the Apostolic Constitutions.
At the time of the last partition of the empire, it was allotted to
Macedonia Prima (Hierocles, Synecdemos, 638), and its see made suffragan to Thessalonica.
Under Andronicus II (1283-1328) Beroea was made a metropolis. The actual Greek
metropolitans add the title of Naoussa,
a neighbouring city.
It has now about 10,000 inhabitants.
L. Petit, ed.
Transcribed by: Susan Birkenseer
This extract is cited June 2003 from The Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent online edition URL below.
EGES (Ancient city) IMATHIA
In the modern nome of Emathia (capital, Veroia) in the region of ancient
Pieria, S of the Haliakmon river. Remains of an ancient city stretch between it
and the town of Palatitsa, ca. 2 km to the E. The most notable remains are: (a)
an extensive prehistoric cemetery, (b) remains of the city and acropolis, (c)
a Macedonian palace, and (d) two Macedonian tombs. The name of the ancient city
to which these remarkable ruins belong is not certainly known. The excavators
of the area, however, from the time of the French archaeologist Leon Heuzey (first
visit 1855) and K. A. Romaios (who began excavations in 1937) to the present,
all scholars consider this to be the city of Balla (Steph. Byz. s.v. Balla, Ouallai,
Ptol. 3.13.40 [Nobbe]; Vallaei, Plin. HN 4.34).
The prehistoric necropolis, which extends for ca. one km, contains
over 300 graves. About 100 of these have been excavated. Some contain only burials
of the Early Iron Age (11th-7th c. B.C.). In other graves of this period there
are burials also from the Hellenistic period, while others, finally, belong entirely
to the early Hellenistic period. The prehistoric tombs are separated in groups,
and since each tomb contained several burials (the richest having up to 50) it
is probable that each tomb belonged to a family, and each group to a larger single
community. The offerings in the tombs were mainly pottery, metal ornaments, and
weapons.
The remains of the acropolis and settlement are known only from surface
exploration and from more or less chance finds. The investigator traces with difficulty
the remains of the acropolis walls in the thick brush growing over the hill which
lies S of and above the cemetery. It appears that the settlement extended between
the acropolis and the cemetery, and probably continued from the 11th c. B.C. to
the Roman period, as indicated by various chance finds. The post-Byzantine Chapel
of Haghia Triadha was in a ruinous state at the time of Huezey's first visit in
1855. It stands on the site of the palace, from whose ruins it is largely constructed,
as are Haghios Demetrios of 1570 A.D. and other churches in the neighborhood,
and the houses of Palatitsia.
The palace (105 x 89 m) is located in a splendid site between the
acropolis and the cemetery, on a small plateau, which is probably in part artificial.
Recent excavations to N and W have established that there were additions which
enlarged the whole dimension of the complex. The building material is largely
poros stone from Mt. Bermion. Mudbrick was used for the upper parts above the
orthostates. Marble was used only for the thresholds. Shining stucco covered the
walls, columns, etc. The plan of the palace was basically that of the Hellenistic
house with peristyle, but enriched in an unusual way. One entered by the E wing
through a Doric stoa with a pediment and then, through a triple porch arrived
at a square, central peristyle court (45 m on a side) with 60 Doric columns, 16
to a side. Around the court were arranged stoas and rooms, one of which, a circular
tholos for some religious purpose, is worthy of special note, as are rooms in
the S wing with pebble mosaic floors. In places there was a second story. The
abundance of Doric and Ionic architectural fragments and terracotta elements allows
for restoration and, in many places, some reconstruction. The other small finds
were oddly few in number, which hinders the understanding of the palace both as
a whole and in particular areas. Only quite recently was a single significant
inscription found in the area of the circular tholos, a dedication to Herakles
Patroos. The palace dates to the time of Antigonos Gonatas' long reign (274-239
B.C.) or a little earlier.
The two tholos tombs of Macedonian type are standard underground tomb
buildings. They are largely built of poros stone from Bermion, covered by stucco
on which are painted decorations in color. They have a temple-type facade, two
vaulted tomb chambers, marble doors and furniture. One of the two has fallen into
ruin since excavation. The other, also excavated, has an Ionic temple-type facade
and, in addition to the marble door, it has a unique marble throne.
The small finds from the area are mostly to be found in the Museums
of Thessalonika and Beroia.
PH. M. Petsas, 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.
VERIA (Ancient city) VERIA
An ancient city on the E slope of Mt. Bermion, which has existed continuously
to the present day under the same name. It was called Karaferia by the Turks.
It is situated on the crossing of the E-W road via the S of the three passes over
Bermion and the N-S road across the W side of the marsh which elsewhere covers
a good part of the lower Macedonian plain. According to a Macedonian myth Beroia
was the daughter of the mythical king Beres: Beres had three children, Mieza,
Beroia, and Olganos (Steph. Byz. s.v. Mieza). The Macedonians came from the W,
from upper Macedonia, and settled the E slope of Bermion around 700 B.C. (see
Edessa). Beroia is mentioned first in historical times in 432 B.C. in a much disputed
passage of Thucydides (1.61.4) where he tells us that after the Athenians captured
Therme and besieged Potidaia they attacked Beroia and other places. In 288 B.C.
the Macedonians deserted Demetrios Poliorketes in front of the walls of Beroia
and joined Pyrrhos of Epeiros inside the city (Plut., Dem. 44, Pyrrh. 11). After
the battle of Pydna in 168 B.C. Beroia was one of the first cities which surrendered
to the Romans (Livy 44.45.5). Through the whole history of Macedonia Beroia appears
as second in importance to whatever city was the first, which changed in succession
from Edessa to Pella to Thessalonika. After the Roman conquest it was not made
capital of one of the four merides, but from the time of Augustus it seems generally
accepted that it was the seat of the Macedonian Koinon and prospered as never
before. The Apostle Paul fled here when he was sent out of Thessalonika in 49-50
A.D., and he founded a Christian community. In inscriptions of the 3d c. A.D.
the titles of Beroia are: He semnotate metropolis kaidis neokoros Beroia, under
Decius Trajan Beroia carries the fuller title of: Metropolis kai kolonia kai tetrakis
neokoros .
Except for a prehistoric axe which was found by itself in a building
excavation, the oldest finds from graves date to the Early Iron Age. Very few
finds of the Classical period have been preserved because of the continuous settlement
of the town and the perishable nature of Macedonian building materials (poros
stone, wood, stucco). Moreover, these remains are hidden under a large Byzantine,
Turkish, and more recent settlement.
A part of the ancient walls is preserved under later additions and
repairs, especially on the road out of the city toward Thessalonika and Naousa.
The older parts are constructed of large poros blocks from the Bermion quarry,
as is a round tower, while the upper and more recent parts of the wall, including
a complete rectangular tower, were constructed hastily in the 3d c. A.D. against
some danger from the Goths or Herulians, with reused ancient marbles, various
architectural fragments, altars bearing honorary and funerary inscriptions, statues,
inscriptions, etc.
The remains of public and private buildings appear chiefly in the
center of the modern town, on both sides of the modern Metropolis, Venizelos,
and Kentrike Sts., where lay the center of the ancient town. The building material
was again local poros, marble being used only in thresholds, as in the neighboring
palace at Verghina. At Beroia, too, appear the double Ionic columns, the shining
stucco, and the same type of terracotta tiles. The immovable remains were covered
over in private residences after they were cleaned, drawn, and photographed. They
are preserved below ground until some opportune time (e.g., in the residence of
the brothers Karadoumane).
During the work of building the streets named above, remains of large
Roman roads were discovered. The ancient roads, with small deviations, have the
same course as those of today and lead to the same exits from the city: (a) the
E gate to Thessalonika and Edessa-Pella, that is, to lower Macedonia; (b) the
S gate to Pieria across the Halyacmon; and (c) the W gate to Elimeia in upper
Macedonia, via the S of the three passes over Mt. Bermion. Of these Roman roads,
which date to the period of the Tetrarchy, the one along what is now Metropolis
St. was paved with slabs of hard limestone. A drain, built under the middle of
it, was lined with curbstones on each side, and under the sidewalks were water
pipes.
Many graves were discovered by chance and investigated near the above-mentioned
three exits from the city. Some were chambers with loculi cut in the soft rock,
others were cist graves, others were tile lined and covered. Most are dated to
the Hellenistic and Roman periods. Most of the graves had been robbed, but some
contained pottery, figurines, and other offerings. The tumuli by the S and E exits
of the city, which probably cover vaulted tombs of the type called Macedonian
have not been excavated.
Other small finds from Beroia were chance finds, or have been collected
from the walls and courts of old houses. There have been no systematic excavations
in the area of the ancient city, but only salvage ones. Therefore the collection
in the Beroia Museum consists mainly of reliefs and inscriptions, although there
are some other finds. Of the carvings, the most notable is an unpublished colossal
Hellenistic head of Medusa from the E gate of the city wall, where it may have
been placed for apotropaic purposes. The large number of very high quality Roman
portraits is a reminder of the fact that in the period of the Macedonian Koinon
Beroia developed a high degree of craftsmanship. Works of a family of Beroian
sculptors are scattered from Thessalian Larissa and Lete near Thessalonika to
Eidomene on the Greek-Yugoslav border. Most of the inscriptions are of Roman date,
funerary or honorary, and decrees of the Synedrion of the Macedonian Koinon. One
of the most interesting and longest texts is of the still unpublished (it was
found in 1949) Law for the Gymnasiarchs of Beroia, of the Hellenistic period.
Also of interest are some manumlssion inscriptions of about the same period and
some dedications, among which is a plaque which tells us Philip V dedicated the
stoas to Athena. Some cults are attested by inscriptions, as those of Herakles
Kynagidas, Asklepios, Hermes, Zeus Hypsistos, etc.
Of the terracotta offerings from the graves the figurines and lamps
make up an interesting series, as do some of the categories of pottery: Hellenistic
pyxides, tear bottles (balsamaria), etc. Earlier finds from Beroia were taken
to the Thessalonika Museum, where they are still kept.
A bronze in Munich, the Kore of Beroia should be mentioned, but most
of the finds, particularly those noted above are in the Beroia Museum. This is
already one of the richest museums in Northern Greece, since it has acquired interesting
groups of finds both from systematic and salvage excavations in the area. The
finds from Mieza (see Mieza and Lefkadia) are of the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
Finally, there is a noteworthy collection of manumission inscriptions, most of
them from the Sanctuary of the Autocthonous Mother of the Gods (Mother of the
Autocthonous Gods) from Mt. Bermion by the Beroia-Kozani road near the town of
Leukopetra. These date approximately to the period from 169 to 362 A.D. and record
the ending of the ancient world in the face of the Christian-Byzantine Epoch,
during which Beroia continued her brilliant life, in Macedonia second only to
Thessalonika.
PH. M. Petsas, 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 4 image(s), bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
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