THESSALY. 



THE3SALY. 



Through this latter defile many armies (that of Xerxes among the 

 nnmber) marched in ancient times. The road which led throngh 

 Thessaly to this Pythium was called the Tin Pythia. The defile is 

 still much frequented by travellers going to Larissa from the north- 

 western parts of Macedonia, if aunt Olympus, one of the most cele- 

 brated mountains of Greece, is represented in Greek mythology as 

 the habitation of the God?. It divides the north-east of Thessaly, or 

 Perrhsebia, from Pieria, the extremity of Macedonia on the south- 

 east. It rises to the height of about 6500 English feet, and the 

 highest ports of it are scarcely ever entirely free from snow. The 

 part of the Cambunisn range which lies to the west of Olyropu? was 

 called Mount Titarns, an ontlier or limb of which, Mount Cyphus, 

 rises in the upper valley of the Penens. Olympus and Osa lie on 

 opposite sides of the defile by which the Peneus enters the Vale of 

 Tempe. 



Mount Pindn.1, the western boundary of Thessaly, is part of the 

 ranee of mountains which issues from the Thracian Scomius. On the 

 north it joins the Illyrisn and Macedonian ranges, and to the south 

 it is connected with the branches of (Eta and the .Etolian and 

 Acarnanian Mountains. It separates the waters which fall into the 

 Ionian Sea and the Ambractan Gulf, from those which empty them- 

 selves into the northern part of the MtfKO. The most frequented 

 pan over Pindus from Tbessaly into Epirus lays over a part of it 

 called Mount Cercetitin, probably not far from the modern town of 

 Metzovo. One of the highest points of Mount Pindna was Tym- 

 phrattu, forming its southern extremity, from which branched the 

 ridge of Monnt 0<hry, closing the (Treat basin of Thessaly on the 

 south, and separating the waters which flow into the Peneus from 

 those which run into the southern Spercheius. Its eastern extremity 

 separate* the Maliac from the Pagasaron Gulf, sinking gently toward 

 the coast. It is now known by the different names of Hellovo, Vari- 

 bovo, and Gonra. To the south of Othrys lies the ridge of if.'in, 

 which however his no connection with Thessaly Proper. It is a 

 huge pile nf mountains stretching from Pindus to the sea, which it 

 meets at the Pass of Thermopylae; it forms the inner barrier of 

 Greece, as the Cambnnian range does the outer, to which it is nearly 

 parallel in direction and equal in height. On the west it branches 

 out into the country of the Dorians and into -Ktolia. On the south- 

 ant, beginning from Mount Callidromus, the highest summit of the 

 range, it is continued without interruption along the coast of the 

 Ealxran Sea, till it sinks into the valley of the river Asopn*. I'v 

 means of another branch to the south-west, it is connected with 

 Parnassus, and after skirting the Corinthian Gulf under the names 

 of ('irphis and Helicon, it forms the northern boundary of Attica, 

 under the name* of Cithseron and Parne*. 



Ptlion is a chain of some extent, running from the south-east 

 extremity of the lake called Boebeis to the extreme sooth of Mairnesia, 

 forming a part of the boundary of TheswUy on the east. Homer 

 (' Ilh'l,' ii. 743) alludes to it as the seat of the Centaur*, and it was 

 associated with many remarkable events in Grecian story. It was 

 exceedingly well wooded. To the north of Pelion and following the 

 line of the coast lies the chain of Ova (now Kissovo), the roots of 

 which unite with one of the brunches of Monnt Pelion. At its 

 northern extremity it towers into a steep conical peak, and accord- 

 ins; to the songs of the country, rivals its neighbour Olympus in the 

 depth and duration of its snows, though it is 1100 feet less In height. 

 Between Osga and Olympus lies the celebrated Vale and Pass of 

 Tetnpe. 



The two principal rivers of Thensaly into which the smaller streams 

 fall are the Penem and the Spercheius. The J'tnrut (now called the 

 Salymbria) rises in the north-west of Thessaly under Pindus, between 

 the lower ridges of which and the outliers of the Cambnniiui range 

 Its upper valleys are confined. Near Meteora, not far from the rocky 

 Ithotne of Homer, its basin opens somewhat towards the south. At 

 Trieca it makes a turn to the east, and its valley expands into a vast 

 plain toward* the sooth-east, on the right of the river, though it ii 

 still confined by the hills on the left, till within about 10 mile* from 

 Larissa, where there is a considerable flat on the north, the soil of 

 which is said to be alluvial. After leaving Trirca the coarse is 

 generally north-east, and passing along the Vale of Tempe, the only 

 outlet for the water* of Thessaly, it empties itself Into the .Egean 

 Sea. It is a very small stream, sluggish and shallow, except after the 

 melting of the snows, when it sometimes floods the surrounding plain*. 

 The Marsh, or Lake Xenon is, on the road between Ijtrissa and Oonnus, 

 I* *ald to be caused by the floods of the river. The principal tribu- 

 tary of the Peneus on the north is the Titaresius, now the SaraoU 

 Poros, which joins the Pencils a little above the Vale of Tempe. 

 The waters of the two riven did not however mingle ; those of the 

 Tit-in-sius being impregnated with a fat unctuous substance, which 

 floated like oil on the surface. (Strabo, ix., p. 441.) This river was 

 also called th>- Eurotar, and supposed to be a branch of the Styx, one 

 of the rivers of the Infernal Region*. At the present day the inhabit- 

 ants it its banks are remarkable for their healthy complexion, while 

 the Penem is surrounded, by a sickly population. Its waters also are 

 said to be clear and dark-coloured, while those of the Peneus are 

 n.i.-.l ly and white. On the xouth, the affluents of the Peneus wen 

 the Pamisits, the Onochonus, the Enipeus, and the Apidann.i. Hero- 

 dotus describes the Apidanus as one of the largest riven of 



Achaia, but still inadequate to the supply of the Persian army with 

 water. 



The second great river of Theasaly was tho Sperchcim, now the 

 Hellada. It flows from Tymphreatus, a branch of Pindua, and after 

 winding through a long narrow vale between the ridges of Othrya 

 and O3ta, it falls into the Maliac Gulf. It was much celebrated by 

 the ancient poets, and Homer mentions it as belonging to the territory 

 of Achilles round the Maliac Gulf. Its bed and mouth have under- 

 gone many changes from the deposit of alluvial matter. 



The plains of Thessaly were amongst the most fertile and produc- 

 tive of Greece in wine, oil, and grain, but more especially in grain, of 

 which it exported a considerable quantity. The Thessalians conse- 

 quently became very rich, and luxurious in their mode of life (' Athen.,' 

 xii. 624). Thessaly was also famous for its cavalry, tho best in Greece ; 

 iU plains supplied abundance of forage for hones. 



The lands of Theasaly were not cultivated by the Thessaliana 

 themselves, but by a subject population, the Penat<e, who were the 

 descendants of the xfiolian Boeotians, who did not emigrate when their 

 country was conquered by the Tbessalians, but surrendered themselves 

 to the conquerors on condition that they should remain in the country 

 and cultivate the land for the new owners of the aoil, paying, by wny 

 of rent, a portion of its 'produce. Many of them were richer than 

 their lords. (Athen.-cus, vi. p. 264.) They sometimes accompanied 

 their masters to battle, and fought on horseback as their knights or 

 vassals. They formed a considerable portion of tho population, and 

 frequently attempted to emancipate themselves. 



Theasaly is now included in the Turkish eyalet of Selanik or Salo- 

 niki. It* chief products are corn, cotton, olive-oil, and silk. The 

 chief towns are Larissa, Trikhala, Volo, and Ambelakia. 



Laritta stands on rising ground on the right bank of the Peneus, 

 in 39 s 87' N. lat, 21 28' E. long., about 20 milea from the aea, and 

 ha* about 30,000 inhabitants. It occupies the site of the ancient 

 Larissa, and has been through nil historical times a place of consider- 

 able importance. The Turks call it Yeni-Sheher. It is tho seat of an 

 archbishop and the residence of a pasha. The population numbers 

 about 30,000. There are no ancient remains here ; the walls are about 

 3 miles round. 



Tritliala is a large straggling town, about 40 miles W. from Larissa, 

 with several churches, mosques, and synagogues, and 12,000 inhabit- 

 ant*, who manufacture cotton and woollen stuffs, and trade in corn 

 with Albania and Epirus. 



fain, on the north shore of the Gulf of Volo, to which it gives 

 name, is a small place with about 2000 inhabitants. In the gulf is 

 the island of Trikcri, which gives name to the Trikeri Channel, con- 

 necting the -fcgean with the Gulf of Volo, and Zitun to the north of 

 K .' 



AmMatia, N.E. of Lariaw, in the vale of Tempe, has about 4000 

 inhabitants, who have some cotton manufactures. 



ry. Homer ('Iliad,' ii. 710) describes Thessaly aa divided 

 into several inde|>endent principalities and kingdoms, and enumerates 

 the chiefs to whom they were subject at the time of the Trojan war. 

 Soon after a new constitution was adopted. The different states agreed, 

 to unite in one confederate body, under a president or Tagus, elected 

 by the memben of the confederacy. Strabo (ix. 429) informs us that 

 this confederacy was the most considerable as well as the most ancient 

 society of the kind established in Greece. It is deserving of remark 

 that the majority of the Amphictyonic states were either Thessalian 

 or connected with Thessaly. Except during a very short period, 

 under Jason of Pheno, Thessaly never assumed that rank among the 

 states of Greece to which it was by its position and extent entitled. 

 In the Penian invasion under Xerxes the Thessalians, being left to 

 their own resources by the Greeks, submitted to the invaders, to whom 

 they proved active and zealous allies. The Athenian general Myronides 

 marched into Thwsaly to restore Orestes, sun of Echecratidaa, to his 

 throne, and advanced aa far as Phanalua; but he was checked in his 

 progress by the Themalians, who were superior in cavalry, antl ho 

 was forced to retire, without having accomplished the objects of his 

 expedition. In the Peloponnesian war the Tbessalians Hid not as a 

 nation take any part In ac. 391 they leagued themselves with the 

 Boeotians and their allies against Spirta. The Thessalians, with their 

 cavalry, endeavoured to harass and obstruct Agesilaus on his march 

 through their country from Asia, His skilful manoeuvres however 

 thwarted their designs, and Agesilaus gained considerable credit by 

 defeating on their own ground, with horsemen of his own training, 

 the most nnowed cavalry of Greece. Towards the close and after 

 the end of the Peloponnesian war, most of the Thessalian cities acknow- 

 ledged the ascendancy of Phanaliis or PhertB, the latter of which 

 was, about B.C. 400, under the dominion of Lycophron. This prince 

 endeavoured to extend his power over all Thessaly ; and Xenophon 

 ('Hellen.,' ii. 4) mentions a victory which he gained over the Thcspa- 

 lians of Larissa as one of tho events which happened in the year of 

 the fall of Athens (B.C. 404). Ten years afterwards Lycophron was 

 still engaged in a contest with Larissa, then subject to Medius, who 

 was probably one of the powerful family of tho Aleuadao. Lycophron 

 was supported by Sparta, and Medius by the Boootian confederacy, by 

 the assistance received from which be was enabled to make himself 

 master of Pharsalua, then occupied by a Lacedaemonian garrison. 



The success of Agesilaua on his return from Asia produced, some 



