Thermes is a former community in the Xanthi peripheral unit, East Macedonia and Thrace

East Macedonia and Thrace

East Macedonia and Thrace is one of the thirteen regions of Greece. It consists of the northeastern parts of the country, comprising the eastern part of the region of Macedonia along with the region of Thrace, and the islands of Thasos and Samothrace....

, 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 Myki, of which it is a municipal unit. It consists of the villages Ano Thermes, Kato Thermes

Kato Thermes

Kato Thermes is a settlement in the Xanthi prefecture of Greece....

, Meses Thermes, Medousa, Kidaris, Diasparto, and Kottani

Kottani

Kottani is a settlement in the municipality Myki in the Xanthi peripheral unit of Greece. It is part of the Thermes village.-Sources:*Michail, Domna. Migration, tradition and transition among the Pomaks in Xanthi . Department of Balkan Studies Aristotle University of Thessaloniki...

. The population of Thermes was around 1396 inhabitants in 1991. In 2001, the population decreased to around 1,221 inhabitants. Thermes is popular for its hot spas, which can be found all around the area. The Turkish name of Thermes is "Ilıca" which meaning "Spa".

Relief of Mithra

Thermes is also famous for the relief of Mithra (a Persian origin goddess of the sun) end of 2nd - beginning of 3rd century AD. The relief is depicting Mithras sacrificing a bull. Close to Mithras we can see figures of Cautes and Caupates.

Sources

• Michail, Domna. Migration, tradition and transition among the Pomaks in Xanthi (Western Thrace). Department of Balkan Studies Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. LSE PhD Symposium on Social Science Research on Greece Hellenic Observatory, European Institute, LSE. June 21, 2003.