Atrax (Thessaly)

Map showing ancient Thessaly. Atrax is shown to the west of Larissa.

Atrax (Ancient Greek: Ἄτραξ, or Ἄτραγϕϛ or Ἄτρακοϛ) or Atracia (Ἀτρακία) 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. Strabo says that the Peneius passed by the cities of Tricca, Pelinnaeum and Pharcadon, on its left, on its course to Atrax and Larissa. The town is attested as Ἆδρακος in the nominative in a catalog of theorodokoi of Epidaurus, dating from 363-359 BC. It was also a polis (city-state) in antiquity.

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.

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. 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.

During the food crisis of 330-326 BC Atrax received 10,000 medimnoi of wheat from Cyrene, in Africa.

Atrax minted silver and bronze coins at the beginning of the 4th century BC, With the legends «ΑΤΡΑ», «ΑΤΡΑΓΙΟΝ», and «ΑΤΡΑΓΙΩΝ».

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.