Ancient Thessaly
Encyclopedia
Ancient Thessaly or Thessalia was one of the traditional regions of Ancient Greece
. During the Mycenaean period
, Thessaly was known as Aeolia
, a name which continued to be used for one of the major tribes of Greece, the Aeolians
, and their dialect of Greek, (Aeolic
).
was home to an extensive Neolithic
culture around 5000–2500 BC (See Cardium Pottery
, Dimini
and Sesklo
). Mycenaean
settlements have also been discovered.
In mythology, Thessaly was homeland of the heroes Achilles
and Jason
, as well of mythological creatures and peoples, Centaurs, Lapith
s , Phlegyans and Myrmidons
. Ancient tribes in Thessaly mentioned by Homer or other poets were: Aeolians
, Magnetes
, Perrhaebi
and Pelasgians
.
The Thessalians were a Thesprotia
n tribe (according to Herodotus
, vii. 176; Veil. Pat. i. 3), and originally came from the Thesprotian Ephyra
. Under the guidance of leaders, who are said to have been descendants of Heracles
, they invaded the western part of the country afterwards called Thessaly, and drove out or reduced to the condition of Penestae
, or bondsmen, the ancient Aeolian inhabitants. The Thessalians afterwards spread over the other parts of the country, and took possession of the most fertile districts, and compelled the Peraebi, Magnetes
, Achaean Phthiotians, and other neighbouring people to submit to their authority and to pay them tribute. The population of Thessaly therefore consisted, like that of Laconica, of three distinct classes:
For some time after the conquest, Thessaly seems to have been governed by kings of the race of Heracleidae
, who may however have been only the heads of the great aristocratic families, invested with the supreme power for a certain time. Under one of these princes, named Aleuas
, the country was divided into four districts – Phthiotis, Plistiaeotis, Thessaliotis, and Pelasgiotis : This division continued until the latest times of Thessalian history, and it may therefore be concluded that it was not merely a nominal one. Each district may have regulated its affairs by some kind of provincial council, but respecting the internal government of each we are almost entirely in the dark.
When occasion required, a chief magistrate was elected under the name of Tagus
, whose commands were obeyed by all the four districts. He is sometimes called king (basileus
, Herod, v. 63), and sometimes archon
(Dionys. v. 74.) He levied soldiers from the states in each district, and seems to have fixed the amount of tribute to be paid by the allies. (Xenoph. Hell. vi. 1. § 19.) When Jason of Pherae
was tagus he had an army of more than 8000 cavalry and not less than 20,000 hoplites (Xenoph../. c.), and Jason himself says that when Thessaly is under a tagus, there is an army of 6000 cavalry and 10,000 hoplites. The tribute Jason levied from the subject towns was the same as had been previously paid by one of the Scopadae family, whom Buttmann supposes to be the same Scopas as the one mentioned by Aelian
( V. H. xii. 1) as a contemporary of Cyrus the younger
. When Thessaly was not united under the government of a tagus the subject towns possessed more independence. (Xenoph. Hell. vi. 1. § 9.) In later times some states called their ordinary magistrates tagoi (Bockh, Corp. Liscr. n. 1770), which may have been done however, as Hermann suggests, only out of affectation.
Thessaly however was hardly ever united under one government. The different cities administered their own affairs independent of one another, though the smaller towns seem to have frequently "been under the influence of the more important ones (Xenoph. Hell. vi. 1. § 8). In almost all the cities the form of government was aristocratical
(dynastic rule rather than isonomy, according to Thucyd. iv. 78), and it was chiefly in the hands of a few great families, who were descended from the ancient kings. Thus Larissa was subject to the Aleuadae, whence Herodotus (vii. 6) calls them kings of Thessaly ; Cranon or Crannon to the Scopadae, and Pharsalus to the Creondae. (Compare Theocr. xvi. -34, &c.) These nobles had vast estates cultivated by the Penestae ; they were celebrated for their hospitality and lived in a princely manner (hospitable, magnificent, the thessalian way Xenoph. Hell. vi. 1. § 3), and they attracted to their courts many of the poets and artists of southern Greece. The Thessalian commonality did not however submit quietly to the exclusive rule of the nobles. Contests between the two classes seem to have arisen early, and the conjecture of Thirlwall
(vol. i. p. 438), that the election of a tagus, like that of a Roman dictator
, was sometimes used as an expedient for keeping the commonalty under, appears very probable. At Larissa the Aleuadae made some concessions to the popular party. Aristotle (Pol. v. 5) speaks, though we do not know at what time he refers to, of certain magistrates at Larissa, who bore the name of Politophylakes , who exercised a superintendence over the admission of freemen, and were elected themselves out of the body of the people whence they were led to court the people in a way unfavourable to the interests of the aristocracy. There were also other magistrates at Larissa of a democratical kind, called Larissopoioi. (Aristot. Pol. iii. 1.) Besides the contests between the oligarchical and democratical parties, there were feuds among the oligarchs themselves ; and such was the state of parties at Larissa under the government of the Aleuadae two generations before the Persian wars, that a magistrate was chosen by mutual consent, perhaps from the commonalty, to mediate between the parties (archon mesidios , Aristot. Pol. v. 5). At Pharsalus too at the close of the Peloponnesian war the state was torn asunder by intestine commotions, and for the sake of quiet and security the citizens entrusted the acropolis and the whole direction of the government to Polydamas of Pharsalus
, who discharged his trust with the strictest integrity. (Xenoph. Hell. vi. 1. § 2, 3.)
In the summer of 480 BC
, the Persians invaded Thessaly. The Greek army that guarded the Vale of Tempe
, evacuated the road before the enemy arrived. Not much later, Thessaly surrendered. The Thessalian family of Aleuadae
joined the Persians. (See Thorax of Larissa
, Thargelia (hetaera))
The power of the aristocratical families however seems to have continued with little diminution till towards the close of the Peloponnesian war, when decided democratical movements first begin to appear. At this time the Aleuadae and the Scopadae had lost much of their ancient influence. Pherae
and Pharsalus then became the two leading states in Thessaly. At Pherae a tyranny, probably arising from a democracy, was established by Lycophron, who opposed the great aristocratical families, and aimed at the dominion of all Thessaly. (Xenoph. Hell. ii. 3. § 4 ; ^Diod. xiv. 82.) The latter object was accomplished by Jason of Pherae
, the successor and probably the son of Lycophron, who effected an alliance with Polydamas of Pharsalus, and caused himself to be elected tagus about in 374 BC. While he lived the whole of Thessaly was united as one political power, but after his murder in 370 BC
his family was torn asunder by internecine discords and did not long maintain its dominion. The office of tagus became a tyranny under his successors, Polydorus, Polyphron, Alexander
, Tisiphonus, and Lycophron ; till at length the old aristocratical families called in the assistance of Philip II of Macedon
, who deprived Lycophron of his power in 353 BC
, and restored the ancient government in the different towns. At Pherae he is said to have restored popular or at least republican government.(Diod. xvi. 38.) The Thessalian people elected Philip 'archon' tagus of the Thessalian League
for life; for a few years later (344 BC) he placed at the head of the four divisions of the country, tetrarchies or tetradarchies, which he re-established, governors devoted to his interests and probably members of the ancient noble families. (Demosthen. Philip, ii. p. 71, iii. p. 117; Harpocrat. s. v.). The Thessalian cavalry became also part of the Macedonian army and many Thessalians took part in the campaign of Alexander the Great. At the close of the First Macedonian War
, 197 BC
, under Flamininus, it was declared free along with Orestis (region)
; but ultimately it was incorporated in the Macedonia (Roman province)
along with Epirus vetus.
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
. During the Mycenaean period
Mycenaean Greece
Mycenaean Greece was a cultural period of Bronze Age Greece taking its name from the archaeological site of Mycenae in northeastern Argolis, in the Peloponnese of southern Greece. Athens, Pylos, Thebes, and Tiryns are also important Mycenaean sites...
, Thessaly was known as Aeolia
Aeolia
Aeolia may refer to:*Aeolia, another name for Aeolis in Anatolia*Aeolia, an older name for Thessaly before the Greek Dark Ages*The home of Æolus, son of Hippotes, a character in the Odyssey*Aeolia , a character found in Mother 3...
, a name which continued to be used for one of the major tribes of Greece, the Aeolians
Aeolians
The Aeolians were one of the four major ancient Greek tribes comprising Ancient Greeks. Their name derives from Aeolus, the mythical ancestor of the Aeolic branch and son of Hellen, the mythical patriarch of the Greek nation...
, and their dialect of Greek, (Aeolic
Aeolic Greek
Aeolic Greek is a linguistic term used to describe a set of dialects of Ancient Greek spoken mainly in Boeotia , Thessaly, and in the Aegean island of Lesbos and the Greek colonies of Asia Minor ....
).
History
ThessalyThessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
was home to an extensive Neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
culture around 5000–2500 BC (See Cardium Pottery
Cardium Pottery
Cardium Pottery or Cardial Ware is a Neolithic decorative style that gets its name from the imprinting of the clay with the shell of the Cardium edulis, a marine mollusk...
, Dimini
Dimini
Dimini is a village near the city of Volos, in Thessaly , in Magnesia. It was the seat of the municipality of Aisonia. The name Aisonia dates back to ancient times and it is the westernmost place in the Volos area. The Dimini area contains both a Mycenean settlement and a Neolithic settlement...
and Sesklo
Sesklo
Sesklo is a village nearby the city of Volos, in Thessaly , in the prefecture of Magnesia. It is part of the municipality Aisonia...
). Mycenaean
Mycenaean Greece
Mycenaean Greece was a cultural period of Bronze Age Greece taking its name from the archaeological site of Mycenae in northeastern Argolis, in the Peloponnese of southern Greece. Athens, Pylos, Thebes, and Tiryns are also important Mycenaean sites...
settlements have also been discovered.
In mythology, Thessaly was homeland of the heroes Achilles
Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Plato named Achilles the handsomest of the heroes assembled against Troy....
and Jason
Jason
Jason was a late ancient Greek mythological hero from the late 10th Century BC, famous as the leader of the Argonauts and their quest for the Golden Fleece. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcus...
, as well of mythological creatures and peoples, Centaurs, Lapith
Lapith
The Lapiths are a legendary people of Greek mythology, whose home was in Thessaly, in the valley of the Peneus and on the mountain Pelion.They were an Aeolian tribe. Like the Myrmidons and other Thessalian tribes, the Lapiths were pre-Hellenic in their origins...
s , Phlegyans and Myrmidons
Myrmidons
The Myrmidons or Myrmidones were legendary people of Greek history. They were very brave and skilled warriors commanded by Achilles, as described in Homer's Iliad. Their eponymous ancestor was Myrmidon, a king of Thessalian Phthia, who was the son of Zeus and "wide-ruling" Eurymedousa, a...
. Ancient tribes in Thessaly mentioned by Homer or other poets were: Aeolians
Aeolians
The Aeolians were one of the four major ancient Greek tribes comprising Ancient Greeks. Their name derives from Aeolus, the mythical ancestor of the Aeolic branch and son of Hellen, the mythical patriarch of the Greek nation...
, Magnetes
Magnetes
The Magnetes were an ancient Greek tribe living in Thessalian Magnesia who took part in the Trojan War. They later also contributed to the Greek colonisation by founding two prosperous cities in Western Anatolia, Magnesia on the Maeander and Magnesia ad Sipylum.According to Hesiod's "Eoiae" or...
, Perrhaebi
Perrhaebi
The Perrhaebi were an ancient Greek people who lived in northern Thessaly. They took part in the Trojan War under Guneus and also fought in the Battle of Thermopylae. Their capital was Phalanna, and their most significant town, or polis, was Oloosson...
and Pelasgians
Pelasgians
The name Pelasgians was used by some ancient Greek writers to refer to populations that were either the ancestors of the Greeks or who preceded the Greeks in Greece, "a hold-all term for any ancient, primitive and presumably indigenous people in the Greek world." In general, "Pelasgian" has come...
.
The Thessalians were a Thesprotia
Thesprotia
Thesprotia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the Epirus region. Its capital is the town of Igoumenitsa. It is named after the Thesprotians, an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited the region in antiquity.-History:...
n tribe (according to Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
, vii. 176; Veil. Pat. i. 3), and originally came from the Thesprotian Ephyra
Ephyra
Ephyra may refer to:* The city of Kichyro, later known as Ephyra.* Ephyra, one of the Oceanids* Ephyra, one of the Nereids* Ephyra, a stage of the life cycle of jellyfish* Efyra, a village and an archeological site in Elis, Greece...
. Under the guidance of leaders, who are said to have been descendants of Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
, they invaded the western part of the country afterwards called Thessaly, and drove out or reduced to the condition of Penestae
Penestae
The penestae were a class of unfree labourers tied to the land once inhabiting Thessaly, whose status was comparable to that of the Spartan helots.-Status:...
, or bondsmen, the ancient Aeolian inhabitants. The Thessalians afterwards spread over the other parts of the country, and took possession of the most fertile districts, and compelled the Peraebi, Magnetes
Magnetes
The Magnetes were an ancient Greek tribe living in Thessalian Magnesia who took part in the Trojan War. They later also contributed to the Greek colonisation by founding two prosperous cities in Western Anatolia, Magnesia on the Maeander and Magnesia ad Sipylum.According to Hesiod's "Eoiae" or...
, Achaean Phthiotians, and other neighbouring people to submit to their authority and to pay them tribute. The population of Thessaly therefore consisted, like that of Laconica, of three distinct classes:
- The PenestaePenestaeThe penestae were a class of unfree labourers tied to the land once inhabiting Thessaly, whose status was comparable to that of the Spartan helots.-Status:...
, whose condition was nearly the same as that of the HelotsHelotsThe helots: / Heílôtes) were an unfree population group that formed the main population of Laconia and the whole of Messenia . Their exact status was already disputed in antiquity: according to Critias, they were "especially slaves" whereas to Pollux, they occupied a status "between free men and...
. - The subject people, who inhabited the districts not occupied by the Thessalian invaders. They paid tribute, as stated above, but were personally free, though they had no share in the government. They corresponded to the Perioeci of Laconica, by which name they are called by Xenophon.
- The Thessalian conquerors, who alone had any share in the public administration, and whose lands were cultivated by the Penestae.
For some time after the conquest, Thessaly seems to have been governed by kings of the race of Heracleidae
Heracleidae
In Greek mythology, the Heracleidae or Heraclids were the numerous descendants of Heracles , especially applied in a narrower sense to the descendants of Hyllus, the eldest of his four sons by Deianira Other Heracleidae included Macaria, Lamos, Manto, Bianor, Tlepolemus, and Telephus...
, who may however have been only the heads of the great aristocratic families, invested with the supreme power for a certain time. Under one of these princes, named Aleuas
Aleuas
Aleuas or Alevas can refer to more than one person from ancient Greek myth and history:*Aleuas, the mythical king and seer of Thessaly who was the eponymous ancestor of the noble Aleuadae family of Larissa. See: Aleuadae....
, the country was divided into four districts – Phthiotis, Plistiaeotis, Thessaliotis, and Pelasgiotis : This division continued until the latest times of Thessalian history, and it may therefore be concluded that it was not merely a nominal one. Each district may have regulated its affairs by some kind of provincial council, but respecting the internal government of each we are almost entirely in the dark.
When occasion required, a chief magistrate was elected under the name of Tagus
Tagus (title)
Tagus was a Thessalian title for a leader or general, especially the military leader of the Thessalian League. When occasion required, a chief magistrate was elected under the name of Tagus, whose commands were obeyed by all the four districts of Thessaly...
, whose commands were obeyed by all the four districts. He is sometimes called king (basileus
Basileus
Basileus is a Greek term and title that has signified various types of monarchs in history. It is perhaps best known in English as a title used by the Byzantine Emperors, but also has a longer history of use for persons of authority and sovereigns in ancient Greece, as well as for the kings of...
, Herod, v. 63), and sometimes archon
Archon
Archon is a Greek word that means "ruler" or "lord", frequently used as the title of a specific public office. It is the masculine present participle of the verb stem ἀρχ-, meaning "to rule", derived from the same root as monarch, hierarchy, and anarchy.- Ancient Greece :In ancient Greece the...
(Dionys. v. 74.) He levied soldiers from the states in each district, and seems to have fixed the amount of tribute to be paid by the allies. (Xenoph. Hell. vi. 1. § 19.) When Jason of Pherae
Jason of Pherae
Jason of Pherae was the ruler of Thessaly during the period just before Philip II of Macedon came to power. He had succeeded his father Lycophron I of Pherae as tyrant of Pherae and was appointed tagus, or king, of Thessaly in the 370s BC and soon extended his control to much of the surrounding...
was tagus he had an army of more than 8000 cavalry and not less than 20,000 hoplites (Xenoph../. c.), and Jason himself says that when Thessaly is under a tagus, there is an army of 6000 cavalry and 10,000 hoplites. The tribute Jason levied from the subject towns was the same as had been previously paid by one of the Scopadae family, whom Buttmann supposes to be the same Scopas as the one mentioned by Aelian
Aelian
Aelian or Aelianus may refer to:* Aelianus Tacticus, Greek military writer of the 2nd century, who lived in Rome* Casperius Aelianus, Praetorian Prefect, executed by Trajan...
( V. H. xii. 1) as a contemporary of Cyrus the younger
Cyrus the Younger
Cyrus the Younger, son of Darius II of Persia and Parysatis, was a Persian prince and general. The time of his birth is unknown, but he died in 401 B.C. The history of Cyrus and of the retreat of the Greeks is told by Xenophon in his Anabasis. Another account, probably from Sophaenetus of...
. When Thessaly was not united under the government of a tagus the subject towns possessed more independence. (Xenoph. Hell. vi. 1. § 9.) In later times some states called their ordinary magistrates tagoi (Bockh, Corp. Liscr. n. 1770), which may have been done however, as Hermann suggests, only out of affectation.
Thessaly however was hardly ever united under one government. The different cities administered their own affairs independent of one another, though the smaller towns seem to have frequently "been under the influence of the more important ones (Xenoph. Hell. vi. 1. § 8). In almost all the cities the form of government was aristocratical
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
(dynastic rule rather than isonomy, according to Thucyd. iv. 78), and it was chiefly in the hands of a few great families, who were descended from the ancient kings. Thus Larissa was subject to the Aleuadae, whence Herodotus (vii. 6) calls them kings of Thessaly ; Cranon or Crannon to the Scopadae, and Pharsalus to the Creondae. (Compare Theocr. xvi. -34, &c.) These nobles had vast estates cultivated by the Penestae ; they were celebrated for their hospitality and lived in a princely manner (hospitable, magnificent, the thessalian way Xenoph. Hell. vi. 1. § 3), and they attracted to their courts many of the poets and artists of southern Greece. The Thessalian commonality did not however submit quietly to the exclusive rule of the nobles. Contests between the two classes seem to have arisen early, and the conjecture of Thirlwall
Connop Thirlwall
Connop Thirlwall was an English bishop and historian.-Early life:Thirlwall was born at Stepney, London, of a Northumbrian family. He was a prodigy, learning Latin at three, Greek at four, and writing sermons at seven.He went to Charterhouse School, where George Grote and Julius Hare were among...
(vol. i. p. 438), that the election of a tagus, like that of a Roman dictator
Roman dictator
In the Roman Republic, the dictator , was an extraordinary magistrate with the absolute authority to perform tasks beyond the authority of the ordinary magistrate . The office of dictator was a legal innovation originally named Magister Populi , i.e...
, was sometimes used as an expedient for keeping the commonalty under, appears very probable. At Larissa the Aleuadae made some concessions to the popular party. Aristotle (Pol. v. 5) speaks, though we do not know at what time he refers to, of certain magistrates at Larissa, who bore the name of Politophylakes , who exercised a superintendence over the admission of freemen, and were elected themselves out of the body of the people whence they were led to court the people in a way unfavourable to the interests of the aristocracy. There were also other magistrates at Larissa of a democratical kind, called Larissopoioi. (Aristot. Pol. iii. 1.) Besides the contests between the oligarchical and democratical parties, there were feuds among the oligarchs themselves ; and such was the state of parties at Larissa under the government of the Aleuadae two generations before the Persian wars, that a magistrate was chosen by mutual consent, perhaps from the commonalty, to mediate between the parties (archon mesidios , Aristot. Pol. v. 5). At Pharsalus too at the close of the Peloponnesian war the state was torn asunder by intestine commotions, and for the sake of quiet and security the citizens entrusted the acropolis and the whole direction of the government to Polydamas of Pharsalus
Polydamas of Pharsalus
For other uses, see PolydamasPolydamas of Pharsalus was a Thessalian statesman. He was entrusted by his fellow-citizens about 375 BC, with the supreme government of their native town. Polydamas formed an alliance with Sparta, with which state his family had long been connected by the bonds of...
, who discharged his trust with the strictest integrity. (Xenoph. Hell. vi. 1. § 2, 3.)
In the summer of 480 BC
480 BC
Year 480 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Vibulanus and Cincinnatus...
, the Persians invaded Thessaly. The Greek army that guarded the Vale of Tempe
Vale of Tempe
The Vale of Tempe is a gorge in northern Thessaly, Greece, located between Olympus to the north and Ossa to the south. The valley is 10 kilometers long and as narrow as 25 meters in places, with cliffs nearly 500 meters high, and through it flows the Pineios River on its way to the Aegean Sea...
, evacuated the road before the enemy arrived. Not much later, Thessaly surrendered. The Thessalian family of Aleuadae
Aleuadae
The Aleuadae were an ancient Thessalian family of Larissa who claimed descent from the mythical Aleuas. The Aleuadae were the noblest and most powerful among all the families of Thessaly, whence Herodotus calls its members "rulers" or "kings" .-Aleuas:The first Aleuas, who bore the epithet of...
joined the Persians. (See Thorax of Larissa
Thorax of Larissa
Thorax of Larissa in Thessaly was a member of the powerful family of the Aleuadae. He was a son of an Aleuas who was a friend of the poet Simonides....
, Thargelia (hetaera))
The power of the aristocratical families however seems to have continued with little diminution till towards the close of the Peloponnesian war, when decided democratical movements first begin to appear. At this time the Aleuadae and the Scopadae had lost much of their ancient influence. Pherae
Pherae
Pherae was an ancient Greek town in southeastern Thessaly. It bordered Lake Boebeïs. In mythology, it was the home of King Admetus, whose wife, Alcestis, Heracles went into Hades to rescue. In history, it was more famous as the home of the fourth-century B.C...
and Pharsalus then became the two leading states in Thessaly. At Pherae a tyranny, probably arising from a democracy, was established by Lycophron, who opposed the great aristocratical families, and aimed at the dominion of all Thessaly. (Xenoph. Hell. ii. 3. § 4 ; ^Diod. xiv. 82.) The latter object was accomplished by Jason of Pherae
Jason of Pherae
Jason of Pherae was the ruler of Thessaly during the period just before Philip II of Macedon came to power. He had succeeded his father Lycophron I of Pherae as tyrant of Pherae and was appointed tagus, or king, of Thessaly in the 370s BC and soon extended his control to much of the surrounding...
, the successor and probably the son of Lycophron, who effected an alliance with Polydamas of Pharsalus, and caused himself to be elected tagus about in 374 BC. While he lived the whole of Thessaly was united as one political power, but after his murder in 370 BC
370 BC
Year 370 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Tribunate of Capitolinus, Medullinus, Praetextatus, Cornelius, Volusus and Poplicola...
his family was torn asunder by internecine discords and did not long maintain its dominion. The office of tagus became a tyranny under his successors, Polydorus, Polyphron, Alexander
Alexander of Pherae
Alexander was tagus or despot of Pherae in Thessaly, and ruled from 369 BC to 358 BC.-Reign:The accounts of how he came to power vary somewhat in minor points. Diodorus Siculus tells us that upon the assassination of the tyrant Jason of Pherae, in 370 BC, his brother Polydorus ruled for a year,...
, Tisiphonus, and Lycophron ; till at length the old aristocratical families called in the assistance of Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon "friend" + ἵππος "horse" — transliterated ; 382 – 336 BC), was a king of Macedon from 359 BC until his assassination in 336 BC. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III.-Biography:...
, who deprived Lycophron of his power in 353 BC
353 BC
Year 353 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Peticus and Poplicola...
, and restored the ancient government in the different towns. At Pherae he is said to have restored popular or at least republican government.(Diod. xvi. 38.) The Thessalian people elected Philip 'archon' tagus of the Thessalian League
Thessalian League
The Thessalian League was a loose confederacy of feudal-like city-states and tribes in the Thessalian valley in Northern Greece and was run by a few aristocratic Thessalian families . The seat of the Thessalian diet was Larissa....
for life; for a few years later (344 BC) he placed at the head of the four divisions of the country, tetrarchies or tetradarchies, which he re-established, governors devoted to his interests and probably members of the ancient noble families. (Demosthen. Philip, ii. p. 71, iii. p. 117; Harpocrat. s. v.). The Thessalian cavalry became also part of the Macedonian army and many Thessalians took part in the campaign of Alexander the Great. At the close of the First Macedonian War
First Macedonian War
The First Macedonian War was fought by Rome, allied with the Aetolian League and Attalus I of Pergamon, against Philip V of Macedon, contemporaneously with the Second Punic War against Carthage...
, 197 BC
197 BC
Year 197 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Cethegus and Rufus...
, under Flamininus, it was declared free along with Orestis (region)
Orestis (region)
For the modern municipality, see OrestidaOrestis was a region of Upper Macedonia, corresponding roughly to the modern Kastoria Prefecture, West Macedonia, Greece. Its inhabitants were the Greek tribe Orestae...
; but ultimately it was incorporated in the Macedonia (Roman province)
Macedonia (Roman province)
The Roman province of Macedonia was officially established in 146 BC, after the Roman general Quintus Caecilius Metellus defeated Andriscus of Macedon, the last Ancient King of Macedon in 148 BC, and after the four client republics established by Rome in the region were dissolved...
along with Epirus vetus.