Nea Anchialos
Encyclopedia
Nea Anchialos is a town and a former municipality
in Magnesia, Thessaly
, Greece
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Volos
, of which it is a municipal unit. It is situated southwest of Volos
and north of Almyros
. It is placed on the national highway Athens
-Lamia
-Volos. On the east there is Pagasitikos bay and west-northwest it is surrounded by picturesque little hills. The whole area is 31 square kilometers and its population 7,411 people.
Two little hills, Kokkinovrahos and Mavrorahi, rise west-northwest, which attribute to the town its exquisite view of the clear waters of Pagassitikos bay and reveal the excellent laying out. The beautiful coasts of Nea Anchialos extend to 20 kilometers. There is a variety of beaches with the unique reddish sand (appropriate for sand-baths for people suffering from rheumatism).There is also golden sand as well as cliffs and pebbles. Small bays and ports, which are formed in certain areas, offer indisputably clear water, ideal for swimming, fishing and sea sports.
provides us with information about the city, who mentions it in his list of ships (Iliad
B695) together with Fylaki and Itona, which belonged to the kingdom of Protessilaos. According to Strabo
(IX435), who discusses its topography, Pyrassos was 20 stadia
from the contemporary city Fthiotides Thives.
In Pyrassos there was the famous temple of Demeter. There is a possibility that it has also been an important religious center of the area. The only excavation which took place in the hill southeast of Nea Anchialos proves that the city has been peopled since the earliest Neolithic
period (6th millennium BC) by fishermen-agriculture's, who developed a remarkable civilisation. Pyrassos can only provide us with hypothetical information; an arm from an oversized statue, which came into light in 1965, was attributed to Demeter
, the goddess adored by the inhabitants of the city.
Maybe the most identical finding is a small piece of an ancient epigraph, discovered in the debris of the big Basilica D' with the name Pyrassos, clear proof that this is the spot where used to be the great city of Protessilaos and Demeter. Pyrassos ends in 217 BC when it was destroyed by Philip V of Macedon
. In this debris developed later a new city, Fthiotides Thives. According to epigraphs, it took its name on the 2nd century a.C and reached its cultural, spiritual and artistic peak during the Paleochristianic period until the 7th century. This fact justifies the term "Christianikae Thive".
However, outside the wall there are important buildings as well: The Basilica
cemetery, the Basilica 5th, mansion of the 3-4th century by the sea, baths and extensive mosaics, another street with shops, cemeteries with arched graves engraved inside of the hill or underground arched graves with sarcophagus since the 3rd-6th century. The example above represent for the main part art in the area. The various mosaics and their extraordinary technique, make the city the most appropriate place to study that kind of decoration.
after massive anti-Greek riots, provoked by the Greek-Bulgarian struggle in Macedonia.
Communities and Municipalities of Greece
For the new municipalities of Greece see the Kallikratis ProgrammeThe municipalities and communities of Greece are one of several levels of government within the organizational structure of that country. Thirteen regions called peripheries form the largest unit of government beneath the State. ...
in Magnesia, Thessaly
Thessaly
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....
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Volos
Volos
Volos is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about 326 km north of Athens and 215 km south of Thessaloniki...
, of which it is a municipal unit. It is situated southwest of Volos
Volos
Volos is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about 326 km north of Athens and 215 km south of Thessaloniki...
and north of Almyros
Almyros
Almyros is a town and a municipality of the peripheral unit of Magnesia, periphery of Thessaly, Greece. It lies in the center of prosperous fertile plain known as 'Krokio Pedio', which is crossed by torrents, and produces wheat, tobacco, and other crops. Almyros is an important agricultural and...
. It is placed on the national highway Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
-Lamia
Lamia (city)
Lamia is a city in central Greece. The city has a continuous history since antiquity, and is today the capital of the regional unit of Phthiotis and of the Central Greece region .-Name:...
-Volos. On the east there is Pagasitikos bay and west-northwest it is surrounded by picturesque little hills. The whole area is 31 square kilometers and its population 7,411 people.
Geography
Thanks to its picturesque, charming nature, clean seaside, the coexistence of peacefulness and the cosmopolitan life and mainly the clean environment and the hospitality of the local people, have made the town one of the biggest tourist resorts of the area. Nea Anchialos has dense vegetation, full of pine trees, vineyards, olive trees, almonds trees.Two little hills, Kokkinovrahos and Mavrorahi, rise west-northwest, which attribute to the town its exquisite view of the clear waters of Pagassitikos bay and reveal the excellent laying out. The beautiful coasts of Nea Anchialos extend to 20 kilometers. There is a variety of beaches with the unique reddish sand (appropriate for sand-baths for people suffering from rheumatism).There is also golden sand as well as cliffs and pebbles. Small bays and ports, which are formed in certain areas, offer indisputably clear water, ideal for swimming, fishing and sea sports.
Pyrassos
Built on the ruins of the ancient city of Pyrassos, of the Achaia Fthiotida. HomerHomer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
provides us with information about the city, who mentions it in his list of ships (Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
B695) together with Fylaki and Itona, which belonged to the kingdom of Protessilaos. According to Strabo
Strabo
Strabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
(IX435), who discusses its topography, Pyrassos was 20 stadia
Ancient Greek units of measurement
Ancient Greek units of measurement would later create the foundation of Egyptian, and formed the basis of the later Roman system.Generally speaking, standards of measurement within the ancient Greek world varied according to location and epoch. Systems of ancient weights and measures evolved as...
from the contemporary city Fthiotides Thives.
In Pyrassos there was the famous temple of Demeter. There is a possibility that it has also been an important religious center of the area. The only excavation which took place in the hill southeast of Nea Anchialos proves that the city has been peopled since the earliest 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...
period (6th millennium BC) by fishermen-agriculture's, who developed a remarkable civilisation. Pyrassos can only provide us with hypothetical information; an arm from an oversized statue, which came into light in 1965, was attributed to Demeter
Demeter
In Greek mythology, Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, who presided over grains, the fertility of the earth, and the seasons . Her common surnames are Sito as the giver of food or corn/grain and Thesmophoros as a mark of the civilized existence of agricultural society...
, the goddess adored by the inhabitants of the city.
Maybe the most identical finding is a small piece of an ancient epigraph, discovered in the debris of the big Basilica D' with the name Pyrassos, clear proof that this is the spot where used to be the great city of Protessilaos and Demeter. Pyrassos ends in 217 BC when it was destroyed by Philip V of Macedon
Philip V of Macedon
Philip V was King of Macedon from 221 BC to 179 BC. Philip's reign was principally marked by an unsuccessful struggle with the emerging power of Rome. Philip was attractive and charismatic as a young man...
. In this debris developed later a new city, Fthiotides Thives. According to epigraphs, it took its name on the 2nd century a.C and reached its cultural, spiritual and artistic peak during the Paleochristianic period until the 7th century. This fact justifies the term "Christianikae Thive".
Pyrassos Findings
Long lasting excavations have brought into light a good number of buildings of the ancient city. There has been an effort to determine the course of its wall which protected the city. The area surrounded by the wall is about 600x480 meters. Until now there have been discovered ten important monuments and the ancient city:- Pyrassos citadel
- Elpidius Basilica
- Group of public buildings
- Episcopical building
- The basilica of St. Dimitris
- public baths
- Gymnasium and baths
- paved street with shops
- a mansion
- Basilica of High priest Peter
However, outside the wall there are important buildings as well: The Basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
cemetery, the Basilica 5th, mansion of the 3-4th century by the sea, baths and extensive mosaics, another street with shops, cemeteries with arched graves engraved inside of the hill or underground arched graves with sarcophagus since the 3rd-6th century. The example above represent for the main part art in the area. The various mosaics and their extraordinary technique, make the city the most appropriate place to study that kind of decoration.
Nea Anchialos
Nea Anchialos (meaning "New Anchialos") was founded in 1906 by Greeks who fled PomoriePomorie
Pomorie is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, located on a narrow rocky peninsula in Burgas Bay on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is situated in Burgas Province, 20 km away from the city of Burgas and 18 km from the Sunny Beach resort. The ultrasaline lagoon...
after massive anti-Greek riots, provoked by the Greek-Bulgarian struggle in Macedonia.
External links
- Municipality website
- Hellenic Ministry Of Culture - Nea Anchialos/Fthiotic Thebes
- Nea Anchialos Online Tourist Guide
| North: Volos Volos Volos is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about 326 km north of Athens and 215 km south of Thessaloniki... | ||
| West: Larisa | Nea Anchialos | East: Pagasetic Gulf |
| South: Almyros Almyros Almyros is a town and a municipality of the peripheral unit of Magnesia, periphery of Thessaly, Greece. It lies in the center of prosperous fertile plain known as 'Krokio Pedio', which is crossed by torrents, and produces wheat, tobacco, and other crops. Almyros is an important agricultural and... |