Atrax (Thessaly)
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Atrax (Ancient Greek: Ἄτραξ, or Ἄτραγϕϛ[1] or Ἄτρακοϛ[2]) or Atracia (Ἀτρακία)[3][4] was a Perrhaebian town in ancient Thessaly, described by Livy as situated above the river Peneius, at the distance of about 10 miles (16 km) from Larissa.[5] Strabo says that the Peneius passed by the cities of Tricca, Pelinnaeum and Pharcadon, on its left, on its course to Atrax and Larissa.[6] The town is attested as Ἆδρακος in the nominative in a catalog of theorodokoi of Epidaurus,[7] dating from 363-359 BC.[8] It was also a polis (city-state) in antiquity.[9]
History
The town was located in the district of Pelasgiotis and its territory was bordered on the north by Phalanna, the northeast by Argura, and to the south by Crannon.[3]
In the 5th century BC, the acropolis and the slope of the hill were enclosed in a polygonal enclosure. In the 4th century BC the acropolis was rebuilt: a quadrangular tower was built and fortified with a new wall with five towers, one of them with a fortified gate. The eastern part of the wall of the hill was reinforced in the 4th century BC, And bears similarity to the defensive constructions of Halos.[10] The lower part was enclosed in the 4th century BC by a opus isodomum wall with four quadrangular towers. It was 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) long and surrounded an area of 64 hectares (160 acres). The main gate was in the northwest, and was accessed by a polygonal stone ramp.[11]
During the food crisis of 330-326 BC Atrax received 10,000 medimnoi of wheat from Cyrene, in Africa.[12]
Atrax minted silver and bronze coins at the beginning of the 4th century BC, With the legends «ΑΤΡΑ», «ΑΤΡΑΓΙΟΝ», and «ΑΤΡΑΓΙΩΝ».[13]
Location
Modern scholars locate Atrax at a kastro called Alifaka in the modern village of Koutsochero (Greek: Κουτσόχερο), in the municipal unit of Koilada, in the municipality of Larissa.[14][15]
References
- ↑ Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum 34.560.3 c. 450 BC)
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Page numbers refer to those of Isaac Casaubon's edition.
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- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Page numbers refer to those of Isaac Casaubon's edition.
- ↑ IG iv2.1 94.b.3.
- ↑ Perlman, P. (2000). City and Sanctuary in Ancient Greece. The Theorodokia in the Peloponnese, Hypomnemata 121. Göttingen, p. 178 E.1b3
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- ↑ Tod, M. N. (1933-1948). A Selection of Greek Historical Inscriptions, I-II. Oxford. 196.24 (330-326)
- ↑ Rogers, E. (1932). The Copper Coinage of Thessaly, pp.159-168
- ↑ Richard Talbert, Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World, (ISBN 0-691-03169-X), Map 55.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.