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Thessaly

Thessaly (Greek: Θεσσαλία, romanizedThessalía, [θesaˈli.a]; ancient Thessalian: Πετθαλία, Petthalía) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia (Ancient Greek: Αἰολία, Aiolía), and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey.

Thessaly
Θεσσαλία (Greek)
Thessaly within Greece
Coordinates: 39°36′N 22°12′E / 39.6°N 22.2°E / 39.6; 22.2Coordinates: 39°36′N 22°12′E / 39.6°N 22.2°E / 39.6; 22.2
Country Greece
Decentralized AdministrationThessaly and Central Greece
Cession1881
CapitalLarissa
Port cityVolos
Regional units
Government
 • Regional governorKonstantinos Agorastos [el] (New Democracy)
Area
 • Total14,036.64 km2 (5,419.58 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Total687,527
 • Density49/km2 (130/sq mi)
DemonymThessalian
Time zoneUTC+2 (EET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+3 (EEST)
ISO 3166 codeGR-E
HDI (2019)0.868[2]
very high · 7th of 13
Websitewww.pthes.gov.gr

Thessaly became part of the modern Greek state in 1881, after four and a half centuries of Ottoman rule. Since 1987 it has formed one of the country's 13 regions[3] and is further (since the Kallikratis reform of 2011) sub-divided into five regional units and 25 municipalities. The capital of the region is Larissa. Thessaly lies in northern Greece and borders the regions of Macedonia on the north, Epirus on the west, Central Greece on the south, and the Aegean Sea on the east. The Thessaly region also includes the Sporades islands.

Name and etymology

Thessaly is named after the Thessaloi, an ancient Greek tribe. The meaning of the name of this tribe is unknown, and many theories have been made about its etymology. According to the Dutch linguist Robert S. P. Beekes, the name predates Greek presence in the region and could come from Proto-Indo-European *Kʷʰeťťal-.[4] The Greek linguist Georgios Babiniotis also assigns the origin of the name of the Thessalians to pre-Greek times, although he does not try to explain its etymology.[5] In Aromanian it is referred to as Tesalia.[6]

Mythology

In Homer's epic, the Odyssey, the hero Odysseus visited the kingdom of Aeolus, which was the old name for Thessaly.[7]

The Plain of Thessaly, which lies between Mount Oeta/Othrys and Mount Olympus, was the site of the battle between the Titans and the Olympians.[8]

According to legend, Jason and the Argonauts launched their search for the Golden Fleece from the Magnesia Peninsula.

History

 
Map of ancient Thessaly
 
The first ancient theatre of Larissa. It was constructed inside the ancient city's centre during the reign of Antigonus II Gonatas towards the end of the 3rd century BC. The theatre was in use for six centuries, until the end of the 3rd century AD

Ancient history

Thessaly was home to extensive Neolithic and Chalcolithic cultures around 6000–2500 BC (see Cardium pottery, Dimini and Sesklo). Mycenaean settlements have also been discovered, for example at the sites of Iolcos, Dimini and Sesklo (near Volos). In Archaic and Classical times, the lowlands of Thessaly became the home of baronial families, such as the Aleuadae of Larissa or the Scopads of Crannon.

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 to the Persians.[9] The Thessalian family of Aleuadae joined the Persians subsequently.

In the 4th century BC, after the Greco-Persian Wars had long ended, Jason of Pherae transformed the region into a significant military power, recalling the glory of Early Archaic times. Shortly after, Philip II of Macedon was appointed Archon of Thessaly, and Thessaly was thereafter associated with the Macedonian Kingdom for the next centuries.

Thessaly later became part of the Roman Empire as part of the province of Macedonia; when that was broken up, the name resurfaced in two of its late Roman successor provinces: Thessalia Prima and Thessalia Secunda.

Byzantine period

 
Part of the Byzantine castle of Trikala

Thessaly remained part of the East Roman "Byzantine" Empire after the collapse of Roman power in the west, and subsequently suffered many invasions, such as by the Slavic tribe of the Belegezites in the 7th century AD.[10] The Avars had arrived in Europe in the late 550s.[11]: 29  They asserted their authority over many Slavs, who were divided into numerous petty tribes.[12] Many Slavs were galvanized into an effective infantry force, by the Avars. In the 7th century the Avar-Slav alliance began to raid the Byzantine Empire, laying siege to Thessalonica and even the imperial capital Constantinople itself.

By the 8th century, Slavs had occupied most of the Balkans from Austria to the Peloponnese, and from the Adriatic to the Black seas, with the exception of the coastal areas and certain mountainous regions of the Greek peninsula.[13] Relations between the Slavs and Greeks were probably peaceful apart from the (supposed) initial settlement and intermittent uprisings.[14] Being agriculturalists, the Slavs probably traded with the Greeks inside towns.[15] It is likely that the re-Hellenization had already begun by way of this contact. This process would be completed by a newly reinvigorated Byzantine Empire.

With the abatement of Arab-Byzantine Wars, the Byzantine Empire began to consolidate its power in those areas of mainland Greece occupied by Proto-Slavic tribes. Following the campaigns of the Byzantine general Staurakios in 782–783, the Byzantine Empire recovered Thessaly, taking many Slavs as prisoners.[16] Apart from military expeditions against Slavs, the re-Hellenization process begun under Nicephorus I involved (often forcible) transfer of peoples.[17]

Many Slavs were moved to other parts of the empire such as Anatolia and made to serve in the military.[18] In return, many Greeks from Sicily and Asia Minor were brought to the interior of Greece, to increase the number of defenders at the Emperor's disposal and dilute the concentration of Slavs.[19]

Late Medieval and Ottoman period

 
Coat of arms of the Duchy of Neopatras.

In 977 Byzantine Thessaly was raided by the Bulgarian Empire. In 1066 dissatisfaction with the taxation policy led the Aromanian and Bulgarian population of Thessaly to revolt against the Byzantine Empire under the leadership of a local lord, Nikoulitzas Delphinas. The revolt, which began in Larissa, soon expanded to Trikala and later northwards to the Byzantine-Bulgarian border.[20] In 1199–1201 another unsuccessful revolt was led by Manuel Kamytzes, son-in-law of Byzantine emperor Alexios III Angelos, with the support of Dobromir Chrysos, the autonomous ruler of Prosek. Kamytzes managed to establish a short-lived principality in northern Thessaly, before he was overcome by an imperial expedition.[21]

 
"The Hyperian Fountain at Pherae", during the Ottoman era, by Edward Dodwell.

Following the siege of Constantinople and the dissolution of the Byzantine Empire by the Fourth Crusade in April 1204, Thessaly passed to Boniface of Montferrat's Kingdom of Thessalonica in the wider context of the Frankokratia. With his Greek ties, Boniface won the support of the Greek population and of various important Greek families.[22][23] In 1212, Michael I Komnenos Doukas, ruler of Epirus, led his troops into Thessaly. Larissa and much of central Thessaly came under Epirote rule, thereby separating Thessalonica from the Crusader principalities in southern Greece.[24] Michael's work was completed by his half-brother and successor, Theodore Komnenos Doukas, who by 1220 completed the recovery of the entire region, and assigned pronoiai to aristocratic Greek families [25]

 
One of the flags used in Thessaly during the Greek War of Independence (designed by Anthimos Gazis).

The Vlachs (Aromanians) of Thessaly (originally a chiefly transhumant Romance-speaking population)[26][27] first appear in Byzantine sources in the 11th century, in the Strategikon of Kekaumenos and Anna Komnene's Alexiad).[26][27] In the 12th century, the Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela records the existence of the district of "Vlachia" near Halmyros in eastern Thessaly, while the Byzantine historian Niketas Choniates places "Great Vlachia" (Aromanian: Vlãhia Mari) near Meteora. The term is also used by the 13th-century scholar George Pachymeres, and it appears as a distinct administrative unit in 1276, when the pinkernes Raoul Komnenos was its governor (kephale).[26]

From 1271 to 1318 Thessaly was an independent despotate that extended to Acarnania and Aetolia, run by the dynasty founded by John I Doukas. John ruled from 1271 until his death in 1289 and was succeeded by his sons Constantine and Theodore. At this time, Thessaly came under Byzantine suzerainty, though it largely retained its independence.[28] After Constatine's death in 1303, it was ruled by John II Doukas until his death in 1318. From 1306 to 1310, the Almogavars or Catalan Company of the East (Societas Catalanorum Magna), plundered Thessaly.[29] In 1310, they occupied a series of forts in the south.[29] From there they departed to the Duchy of Athens, called by the duke Walter I, whom they eventually killed in battle and took over the Duchy of Athens.[30] In 1318, with the death of John II, Thessalian independence came to an end, and the Almogavars occupied Siderokastron and southern Thessaly (1319) and formed the Duchy of Neopatria. The other parts of Thessaly either came under Byzantine rule or were ruled by their own nobility.[31] These local magnates eventually started fighting amongst themselves. Those in the south, such as the Melissenos family of Volos, sought the help of the Catalans, while those in the north, such as the Gavrilopoulos family of Trikala, turned towards Byzantium.[31] At this time, some of Thessaly's ports came under Venetian rule.[32] In 1332, most of Thessaly was taken by the Byzantines following a campaign by Andronikos III Paleologos.[33] He left its administration to Michael Monomachos, who governed it for the next 10 years.[33]

Groups of Albanians moved into Thessaly as early as 1268 as mercenaries of Michael Doukas.[34] The Albanian tribes of Bua, Malakasioi and Mazaraki were described as "unruly" nomads living in the mountains of Thessaly in the early 14th century in Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos’ ‘History’. They numbered approximately 12,000. Kantakouzenos describes a pact they made to serve the Byzantine Emperor and pay tribute to him ca. 1332 in exchange for using the lowland areas of Thessaly in the summer months.[35] Albanian groups were given military holdings Fanari in the 1330s and by the end of the 14th century and the Ottoman takeover of the region, they were an integral part of the military structures of Thessaly. Two of their military leaders known in Byzantine sources as Peter and John Sebastopoulos controlled the small towns of Pharsala and Domokos.[36]

In 1348, Thessaly was invaded and occupied by the Serbian Empire of Stefan Dušan, under the general Preljub. After the latter's death in 1356, the region was conquered by Nikephoros Orsini after he won the support of the local Greek population.[37] After his death three years later, it was taken over by the self-proclaimed Serbian emperor Simeon Uroš. Simeon's son John Uroš succeeded in 1370 but abdicated in 1373, and Thessaly was administered by the Greek Angeloi-Philanthropenoi clan until the Ottoman conquest c. 1393.

Ottoman control began in the late 14th century with the capture of Larissa in 1392-93 and consolidated in the early 15th century. Nevertheless, Ottoman control was threatened throughout this era by groups of Greeks, Albanians and Aromanians who based themselves in the mountainous areas of Thessaly.[38] Turahan Bey settled Turkomans in the province and founded the town of Tyrnavos.[citation needed] The territory was ruled through the Sanjak of Tirhala administrative division during the Ottoman period.

Modern

 
The port of Volos

In 1600, a short-lived rebellion broke out in the region.

Rigas Feraios, the important Greek intellectual and forerunner of the Greek War of Independence was from the region. He was born in Velestino,[39] near the ancient town of Pherae.

In 1821, parts of Thessaly and Magnesia participated in the initial uprisings in the Greek War of Independence, but these revolts were swiftly crushed. Thessaly became part of the modern Greek state in 1881, after the Convention of Constantinople except the area around the town of Elassona, which remained in Ottoman hands until 1912. It was briefly captured by Ottomans during the Greco-Turkish War of 1897. After the Treaty of Constantinople (1897), Greece was forced to cede minor border areas and to pay heavy reparations. The remaining part of Thessaly held by the Ottomans was finally regained by the Greeks during the First Balkan War in 1912.

During World War II, Thessaly was occupied by the Kingdom of Italy from April 1941 to September of 1943. After the Armistice of Cassibile, Germany occupied Thessaly until October 1944.

Language

The Aeolic dialect of Greek was spoken in Thessaly. This included several local varieties, in particular the variants of Pelasgiotis and Thessaliotis. The language was not written.[40]

Apart of Greek, Aromanian is also spoken in Thessaly. Some Aromanian dialects from the region have some unique peculiarities of their own, such as that of Krania, which is one of the few with differential object marking (DOM) along with those dialects spoken at the west of Ohrid in North Macedonia.[41]

Geography

 
Panoramic view of Meteora valley
 
Volos view from Pelion mountain.
 
Litheos river flowing through the city of Trikala
 
Skiathos island

Thessaly occupies the east side of the Pindus watershed, extending south from Macedonia to the Aegean Sea. The northern tier of Thessaly is defined by a generally southwest-northeast spur of the Pindus range that includes Mount Olympus, close to the Macedonian border. Within that broken spur of mountains are several basins and river valleys.

The easternmost extremity of the spur extends southeastward from Mount Olympus along the Aegean coast, terminating in the Magnesia Peninsula that envelops the Pagasetic Gulf (also called the Gulf of Volos), and forms an inlet of the Aegean Sea. Thessaly's major river, the Pineios, flows eastward from the central Pindus Range just south of the spur, emptying into the Thermaic Gulf.

The Trikala and Larissa lowlands form a central plain which is surrounded by a ring of mountains. It has distinct summer and winter seasons, with summer rains augmenting the fertility of the plains. This has led to Thessaly occasionally being called the "breadbasket of Greece".

The region is well delineated by topographical boundaries. The Chasia and Kamvounia mountains lie to the north, the Mount Olympus massif to the northeast. To the west lies the Pindus mountain range, to the southeast the coastal mountains of Óssa and Pelion.

Several tributaries of the Pineios flow through the region.

Climate

Most of the province has a hot summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa), but also found is a cold semi-arid climate (BSk) including the capital Larissa (on its Mediterranean edge of category). Even in the north of Thessaly a rare humid subtropical climate (Cfa) can be found, although it is different from a climate typically below or above the tropics, it also marks the limit of this rare Cf subtype on the European continent (e. g. the small village of Kalvia).[42]

Demographics

The population of the region of Thessaly was 687,527 in 2021 census. The region has shrunk by 45,235 people between 2011 and 2021, experiencing a population loss of 6.2%.[1]

In 2011, the population of the region of Thessaly was 732,762 and represented 6.8% of the total population of Greece. A 2.8% decrease in the population since 2001 was noted, but Thessaly remains Greece's third most populous region.[43]

The population break-down is 44% urban, 40% agrarian, and 16% semi-urban. A decrease in the agrarian population has been accompanied by an increase in the semi-urban population.

The metropolitan area of Larissa, the capital of Thessaly, is home to more than 230,000 people, making it the biggest city of the region.

An Aromanian minority resides in Thessaly. This region, along with Epirus and Macedonia, are the regions with the biggest concentrations of Greek Aromanians.[44] Another notable population group of Thessaly are the Karagounides, an ethnic Greek subgroup.

Major communities

Economy

The alluvial soils of the Pineios Basin and its tributaries make Thessaly a vital agricultural area, particularly for the production of grain, cattle, and sheep. Modernization of agricultural practices in the mid-20th century has controlled the chronic flooding that had restricted agricultural expansion and diversification in the low-lying plains. Thessaly is the leading cattle-raising area of Greece, and Aromanian shepherds move large flocks of sheep and goats seasonally between higher and lower elevations.

In the last few decades, there has been a rise in the cultivation of dried nuts such as almonds, pistachios, and walnuts, especially in the region of Almyros. An increase in the number of olive oil trees has been also observed. The nearly landlocked Gulf of Pagasai provides a natural harbor at Volos for shipping agricultural products from the plains and chromium from the mountains.

The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 9.7 billion € in 2018, accounting for 5.2% of Greek economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 16,100 € or 53% of the EU27 average in the same year. The GDP per employee was 65% of the EU average.[45]

The unemployment rate stood at 20.6% in 2017.[46]

Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
unemployment rate
(in %)
8.2 7.8 8.3 9.2 12.1 16.8 22.6 25.4 25.4 26.9 25.5 20.6

Transport

There are a number of highways such as E75, and the main railway from Athens to Thessaloniki (Salonika) crosses Thessaly. The region is directly linked to the rest of Europe through International Airport of Central Greece, which is located in Nea Anchialos, a small distance from Volos and Larisa. Charter flights link the region and bring tourists to the wider area, mainly in Pelion and Meteora. The new infrastructure includes a brand new terminal ready to serve 1500 passengers per hour and new airplanes.

Administration

Although the historical region of Thessaly extended south into Phthiotis and at times north into West Macedonia, today the term 'Thessaly' is identified with the modern Administrative Region which was established in the 1987 administrative reform. With the 2010 Kallikratis plan, the powers and authority of the region were redefined and extended.

Along with Central Greece, it is supervised by the Decentralized Administration of Thessaly and Central Greece, based at Larissa. The region of Thessaly is divided into five regional units (four were pre-Kallikratis prefectures), Karditsa, Larissa, Magnesia, the Sporades and Trikala, which are further subdivided into twenty-five municipalities.

Municipal Populations in Thessaly
Regional Unit Municipality Population (2011)
Larissa Agia 11,470
Larissa Elassona 32,121
Larissa Farsala 18,545
Larissa Kileler 20,854
Larissa Larissa 162,591
Larissa Tempi 13,712
Larissa Tyrnavos 25,032
Sporades Skiathos 6,610
Sporades Skopelos 4,960
Sporades Alonnisos 2,750
Magnesia Almyros 18,614
Magnesia Rigas Feraios 10,922
Magnesia South Pelion 10,216
Magnesia Volos 144,449
Magnesia Zagora-Mouresi 5,809
Karditsa Argithea 3,450
Karditsa Karditsa 56,747
Karditsa Lake Plastiras 4,635
Karditsa Mouzaki 13,122
Karditsa Palamas 16,726
Karditsa Sofades 18,864
Trikala Farkadona 13,396
Trikala Kalampaka 21,991
Trikala Pyli 14,343
Trikala Trikala 81,355

The region's governor is Konstantinos Agorastos [el] (New Democracy), who was elected in the 2010 local elections and re-elected in 2014 and 2019.

Ancient coinage

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Census 2021 GR" (PDF) (Press release). Hellenic Statistical Authority. 2022-07-19. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  2. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
  3. ^ Π.Δ. (March 6, 1987). Καθορισμός των Περιφερειών της Χώρας για το σχεδιασμό κ.λ.π. της Περιφερειακής Ανάπτυξης [Determination of the Regions of the Country for the planning etc. of the development of the regions]. ΦΕΚ. pp. 51/87.
  4. ^ Beekes, Robert (2009). Etymological Dictionary of Greek. Brill Publishers. ISBN 978-90-04-17418-4.
  5. ^ Babiniotis, Georgios (2009). Ετυμολογικό Λεξικό της Νέας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας (in Greek). Lexicology Centre.
  6. ^ Fãrshãrotu nr. 30. p. 14.
  7. ^ For more, see: Homer, Odyssey, 10.1
  8. ^ Hesiod, Theogony 630-631.
  9. ^ Rhodes, P.J. (September 30, 2014). A Short History of Ancient Greece. I.B. Tauris. p. 59. ISBN 9781780765945. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
  10. ^ de Laet, Sigfried J.; Herrmann, Joachim (January 1, 1996). "The Invasion of Slaves and Avars (c. 568 to 626)". In Tapkova-Zaimova, Vasilka (ed.). History of Humanity: From the seventh century B.C. to the seventh century A.D. UNESCO. p. 252. ISBN 978-92-3-102812-0.
  11. ^ Fine, John V. A., Jr. 1983, Early Medieval Balkans: A Critical Survey From the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century, University of Michigan Press ISBN 9780472100255
  12. ^ Fine 1991, p. 30.
  13. ^ Fine 1991, p. 36.
  14. ^ Fine 1991, p. 63.
  15. ^ Fine 1991, p. 61.
  16. ^ Fine 1991, p. 79.
  17. ^ Fine 1991, p. 81.
  18. ^ Fine 1991, p. 66.
  19. ^ Fine 1991, p. 82.
  20. ^ Fine 1991, p. 216.
  21. ^ Fine 1994, p. 32.
  22. ^ Fine 1994, pp. 63.
  23. ^ Fine 1994, pp. 64.
  24. ^ Fine 1994, p. 68.
  25. ^ Fine 1994, p. 114.
  26. ^ a b c Kazhdan 1991, p. 2183.
  27. ^ a b Kazhdan 1991, p. 2184.
  28. ^ Fine 1994, p. 235.
  29. ^ a b Fine 1994, p. 241.
  30. ^ Fine 1994, p. 242.
  31. ^ a b Fine 1994, p. 243.
  32. ^ Fine 1994, p. 247.
  33. ^ a b Fine 1994, p. 253.
  34. ^ Lopasic, Alexander (1992). "Cultural Values of the Albanians in the Diaspora". In Winnifrith, Tom (ed.). Perspectives On Albania. Springer. p. 90. ISBN 978-1-349-22050-2.
  35. ^ Elsie, Robert. "Texts and Documents of Albanian History". albanianhistory.net. Retrieved 2021-10-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  36. ^ Magdalino, Paul (2012). "Between Romaniae: Thessaly and Epirus in the Later Middle Ages". In Arbel, Benjamin; Hamilton, Bernard; Jacoby, David (eds.). Latins and Greeks in the Eastern Mediterranean After 1204. Routledge. p. 103. ISBN 978-1136289163.
  37. ^ Fine 1994, p. 347.
  38. ^ Savvides, Alexis (1998). "Splintered Medieval Hellenism : The Semi-Autonomous State of Thessaly (A.d. 1213/1222 to 1454/1470) and ITS Place in History". Byzantion. 68 (2): 416. JSTOR 44172339. Following the Ottoman capture of Larissa in 1392/1393, the Turkish forces moved southward towards Hellas and invaded the Peloponnese, which had already experienced their initial devastations ; the next decades would witness the building-up of local resistance in Thessaly on the part of sections of Greeks, Albanians and Vlachs, who had taken to the mountains
  39. ^ Daskalov, Roumen Dontchev; Marinov, Tchavdar (June 13, 2013). Entangled Histories of the Balkans: National Ideologies and Language Policies. Vol. 1. Brill Publishers. p. 159. ISBN 978-9004250765.
  40. ^ Frits Waanders, “Thessalian”, in: Encyclopedia of Ancient Greek Language and Linguistics, Managing Editors Online Edition: First Last. Consulted online on 31 August 2020 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2214-448X_eagll_COM_00000349>
  41. ^ Bužarovska, Eleni (2020). "The contact hypothesis revised: DOM in the South Slavic periphery". Journal of Language Contact. 13 (1): 57–95. doi:10.1163/19552629-bja10003. S2CID 225734803.
  42. ^ "Updated Köppen-Geiger climate map of the world". people.eng.unimelb.edu.au. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
  43. ^ (PDF). Housing Census. Hellenic Statistical Authority. September 12, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 8, 2015. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  44. ^ Kahl, Thede (2003). "Aromanians in Greece: Minority or Vlach-speaking Greeks?" (PDF). Jahrbücher für Geschichte und Kultur Südosteuropas. 5: 205–219.
  45. ^ "Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018". Eurostat.
  46. ^ "Regional Unemployment by NUTS2 Region". Eurostat.

Sources

External links

  • Official website   (in Greek)
  • Bagnall, R., J. Drinkwater, A. Esmonde-Cleary, W. Harris, R. Knapp, S. Mitchell, S. Parker, C. Wells, J. Wilkes, R. Talbert, M. E. Downs, M. Joann McDaniel, B. Z. Lund, T. Elliott, S. Gillies (15 February 2012). "Places: 991374 (Thessalia)". Pleiades. Retrieved March 8, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

thessaly, this, article, about, historical, geographical, region, greece, ancient, region, ancient, vertigo, comics, character, comics, thessalia, redirects, here, namesake, butterfly, genus, chlosyne, thessalian, redirects, here, ancient, thessalian, dialect,. This article is about the historical and geographical region of Greece For the ancient region see Ancient Thessaly For the Vertigo Comics character see Thessaly comics Thessalia redirects here For the namesake butterfly genus see Chlosyne Thessalian redirects here For the ancient Thessalian dialect see Aeolic Greek Thessaly Greek 8essalia romanized Thessalia 8esaˈli a ancient Thessalian Pet8alia Petthalia is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece comprising most of the ancient region of the same name Before the Greek Dark Ages Thessaly was known as Aeolia Ancient Greek Aἰolia Aiolia and appears thus in Homer s Odyssey Thessaly 8essalia Greek Administrative region of Greece Traditional region of GreeceLogoThessaly within GreeceCoordinates 39 36 N 22 12 E 39 6 N 22 2 E 39 6 22 2 Coordinates 39 36 N 22 12 E 39 6 N 22 2 E 39 6 22 2Country GreeceDecentralized AdministrationThessaly and Central GreeceCession1881CapitalLarissaPort cityVolosRegional unitsList KarditsaLarissaMagnesiaTrikalaSporadesGovernment Regional governorKonstantinos Agorastos el New Democracy Area Total14 036 64 km2 5 419 58 sq mi Population 2021 1 Total687 527 Density49 km2 130 sq mi DemonymThessalianTime zoneUTC 2 EET Summer DST UTC 3 EEST ISO 3166 codeGR EHDI 2019 0 868 2 very high 7th of 13Websitewww wbr pthes wbr gov wbr grThessaly became part of the modern Greek state in 1881 after four and a half centuries of Ottoman rule Since 1987 it has formed one of the country s 13 regions 3 and is further since the Kallikratis reform of 2011 sub divided into five regional units and 25 municipalities The capital of the region is Larissa Thessaly lies in northern Greece and borders the regions of Macedonia on the north Epirus on the west Central Greece on the south and the Aegean Sea on the east The Thessaly region also includes the Sporades islands Contents 1 Name and etymology 2 Mythology 3 History 3 1 Ancient history 3 2 Byzantine period 3 3 Late Medieval and Ottoman period 3 4 Modern 3 5 Language 4 Geography 4 1 Climate 5 Demographics 6 Major communities 7 Economy 8 Transport 9 Administration 10 Ancient coinage 11 See also 12 References 13 Sources 14 External linksName and etymology EditThessaly is named after the Thessaloi an ancient Greek tribe The meaning of the name of this tribe is unknown and many theories have been made about its etymology According to the Dutch linguist Robert S P Beekes the name predates Greek presence in the region and could come from Proto Indo European Kʷʰettal 4 The Greek linguist Georgios Babiniotis also assigns the origin of the name of the Thessalians to pre Greek times although he does not try to explain its etymology 5 In Aromanian it is referred to as Tesalia 6 Mythology EditIn Homer s epic the Odyssey the hero Odysseus visited the kingdom of Aeolus which was the old name for Thessaly 7 The Plain of Thessaly which lies between Mount Oeta Othrys and Mount Olympus was the site of the battle between the Titans and the Olympians 8 According to legend Jason and the Argonauts launched their search for the Golden Fleece from the Magnesia Peninsula History EditMain article History of Thessaly Map of ancient Thessaly The first ancient theatre of Larissa It was constructed inside the ancient city s centre during the reign of Antigonus II Gonatas towards the end of the 3rd century BC The theatre was in use for six centuries until the end of the 3rd century AD Ancient history Edit Further information Ancient Thessaly and Roman Greece Thessaly was home to extensive Neolithic and Chalcolithic cultures around 6000 2500 BC see Cardium pottery Dimini and Sesklo Mycenaean settlements have also been discovered for example at the sites of Iolcos Dimini and Sesklo near Volos In Archaic and Classical times the lowlands of Thessaly became the home of baronial families such as the Aleuadae of Larissa or the Scopads of Crannon 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 to the Persians 9 The Thessalian family of Aleuadae joined the Persians subsequently In the 4th century BC after the Greco Persian Wars had long ended Jason of Pherae transformed the region into a significant military power recalling the glory of Early Archaic times Shortly after Philip II of Macedon was appointed Archon of Thessaly and Thessaly was thereafter associated with the Macedonian Kingdom for the next centuries Thessaly later became part of the Roman Empire as part of the province of Macedonia when that was broken up the name resurfaced in two of its late Roman successor provinces Thessalia Prima and Thessalia Secunda Byzantine period Edit Further information Byzantine Greece Part of the Byzantine castle of Trikala View of the Panagia Olympiotissa Monastery in Elassona Thessaly remained part of the East Roman Byzantine Empire after the collapse of Roman power in the west and subsequently suffered many invasions such as by the Slavic tribe of the Belegezites in the 7th century AD 10 The Avars had arrived in Europe in the late 550s 11 29 They asserted their authority over many Slavs who were divided into numerous petty tribes 12 Many Slavs were galvanized into an effective infantry force by the Avars In the 7th century the Avar Slav alliance began to raid the Byzantine Empire laying siege to Thessalonica and even the imperial capital Constantinople itself By the 8th century Slavs had occupied most of the Balkans from Austria to the Peloponnese and from the Adriatic to the Black seas with the exception of the coastal areas and certain mountainous regions of the Greek peninsula 13 Relations between the Slavs and Greeks were probably peaceful apart from the supposed initial settlement and intermittent uprisings 14 Being agriculturalists the Slavs probably traded with the Greeks inside towns 15 It is likely that the re Hellenization had already begun by way of this contact This process would be completed by a newly reinvigorated Byzantine Empire With the abatement of Arab Byzantine Wars the Byzantine Empire began to consolidate its power in those areas of mainland Greece occupied by Proto Slavic tribes Following the campaigns of the Byzantine general Staurakios in 782 783 the Byzantine Empire recovered Thessaly taking many Slavs as prisoners 16 Apart from military expeditions against Slavs the re Hellenization process begun under Nicephorus I involved often forcible transfer of peoples 17 Many Slavs were moved to other parts of the empire such as Anatolia and made to serve in the military 18 In return many Greeks from Sicily and Asia Minor were brought to the interior of Greece to increase the number of defenders at the Emperor s disposal and dilute the concentration of Slavs 19 Late Medieval and Ottoman period Edit Further information Great Vlachia Duchy of Neopatria and Ottoman Greece Coat of arms of the Duchy of Neopatras In 977 Byzantine Thessaly was raided by the Bulgarian Empire In 1066 dissatisfaction with the taxation policy led the Aromanian and Bulgarian population of Thessaly to revolt against the Byzantine Empire under the leadership of a local lord Nikoulitzas Delphinas The revolt which began in Larissa soon expanded to Trikala and later northwards to the Byzantine Bulgarian border 20 In 1199 1201 another unsuccessful revolt was led by Manuel Kamytzes son in law of Byzantine emperor Alexios III Angelos with the support of Dobromir Chrysos the autonomous ruler of Prosek Kamytzes managed to establish a short lived principality in northern Thessaly before he was overcome by an imperial expedition 21 The Hyperian Fountain at Pherae during the Ottoman era by Edward Dodwell Following the siege of Constantinople and the dissolution of the Byzantine Empire by the Fourth Crusade in April 1204 Thessaly passed to Boniface of Montferrat s Kingdom of Thessalonica in the wider context of the Frankokratia With his Greek ties Boniface won the support of the Greek population and of various important Greek families 22 23 In 1212 Michael I Komnenos Doukas ruler of Epirus led his troops into Thessaly Larissa and much of central Thessaly came under Epirote rule thereby separating Thessalonica from the Crusader principalities in southern Greece 24 Michael s work was completed by his half brother and successor Theodore Komnenos Doukas who by 1220 completed the recovery of the entire region and assigned pronoiai to aristocratic Greek families 25 One of the flags used in Thessaly during the Greek War of Independence designed by Anthimos Gazis The Vlachs Aromanians of Thessaly originally a chiefly transhumant Romance speaking population 26 27 first appear in Byzantine sources in the 11th century in the Strategikon of Kekaumenos and Anna Komnene s Alexiad 26 27 In the 12th century the Jewish traveller Benjamin of Tudela records the existence of the district of Vlachia near Halmyros in eastern Thessaly while the Byzantine historian Niketas Choniates places Great Vlachia Aromanian Vlahia Mari near Meteora The term is also used by the 13th century scholar George Pachymeres and it appears as a distinct administrative unit in 1276 when the pinkernes Raoul Komnenos was its governor kephale 26 From 1271 to 1318 Thessaly was an independent despotate that extended to Acarnania and Aetolia run by the dynasty founded by John I Doukas John ruled from 1271 until his death in 1289 and was succeeded by his sons Constantine and Theodore At this time Thessaly came under Byzantine suzerainty though it largely retained its independence 28 After Constatine s death in 1303 it was ruled by John II Doukas until his death in 1318 From 1306 to 1310 the Almogavars or Catalan Company of the East Societas Catalanorum Magna plundered Thessaly 29 In 1310 they occupied a series of forts in the south 29 From there they departed to the Duchy of Athens called by the duke Walter I whom they eventually killed in battle and took over the Duchy of Athens 30 In 1318 with the death of John II Thessalian independence came to an end and the Almogavars occupied Siderokastron and southern Thessaly 1319 and formed the Duchy of Neopatria The other parts of Thessaly either came under Byzantine rule or were ruled by their own nobility 31 These local magnates eventually started fighting amongst themselves Those in the south such as the Melissenos family of Volos sought the help of the Catalans while those in the north such as the Gavrilopoulos family of Trikala turned towards Byzantium 31 At this time some of Thessaly s ports came under Venetian rule 32 In 1332 most of Thessaly was taken by the Byzantines following a campaign by Andronikos III Paleologos 33 He left its administration to Michael Monomachos who governed it for the next 10 years 33 Groups of Albanians moved into Thessaly as early as 1268 as mercenaries of Michael Doukas 34 The Albanian tribes of Bua Malakasioi and Mazaraki were described as unruly nomads living in the mountains of Thessaly in the early 14th century in Emperor John VI Kantakouzenos History They numbered approximately 12 000 Kantakouzenos describes a pact they made to serve the Byzantine Emperor and pay tribute to him ca 1332 in exchange for using the lowland areas of Thessaly in the summer months 35 Albanian groups were given military holdings Fanari in the 1330s and by the end of the 14th century and the Ottoman takeover of the region they were an integral part of the military structures of Thessaly Two of their military leaders known in Byzantine sources as Peter and John Sebastopoulos controlled the small towns of Pharsala and Domokos 36 In 1348 Thessaly was invaded and occupied by the Serbian Empire of Stefan Dusan under the general Preljub After the latter s death in 1356 the region was conquered by Nikephoros Orsini after he won the support of the local Greek population 37 After his death three years later it was taken over by the self proclaimed Serbian emperor Simeon Uros Simeon s son John Uros succeeded in 1370 but abdicated in 1373 and Thessaly was administered by the Greek Angeloi Philanthropenoi clan until the Ottoman conquest c 1393 Ottoman control began in the late 14th century with the capture of Larissa in 1392 93 and consolidated in the early 15th century Nevertheless Ottoman control was threatened throughout this era by groups of Greeks Albanians and Aromanians who based themselves in the mountainous areas of Thessaly 38 Turahan Bey settled Turkomans in the province and founded the town of Tyrnavos citation needed The territory was ruled through the Sanjak of Tirhala administrative division during the Ottoman period Modern Edit The port of Volos In 1600 a short lived rebellion broke out in the region Rigas Feraios the important Greek intellectual and forerunner of the Greek War of Independence was from the region He was born in Velestino 39 near the ancient town of Pherae In 1821 parts of Thessaly and Magnesia participated in the initial uprisings in the Greek War of Independence but these revolts were swiftly crushed Thessaly became part of the modern Greek state in 1881 after the Convention of Constantinople except the area around the town of Elassona which remained in Ottoman hands until 1912 It was briefly captured by Ottomans during the Greco Turkish War of 1897 After the Treaty of Constantinople 1897 Greece was forced to cede minor border areas and to pay heavy reparations The remaining part of Thessaly held by the Ottomans was finally regained by the Greeks during the First Balkan War in 1912 During World War II Thessaly was occupied by the Kingdom of Italy from April 1941 to September of 1943 After the Armistice of Cassibile Germany occupied Thessaly until October 1944 Language Edit The Aeolic dialect of Greek was spoken in Thessaly This included several local varieties in particular the variants of Pelasgiotis and Thessaliotis The language was not written 40 Apart of Greek Aromanian is also spoken in Thessaly Some Aromanian dialects from the region have some unique peculiarities of their own such as that of Krania which is one of the few with differential object marking DOM along with those dialects spoken at the west of Ohrid in North Macedonia 41 Geography Edit Panoramic view of Meteora valley Vale of Tempe Volos view from Pelion mountain Litheos river flowing through the city of Trikala Skiathos island Thessaly occupies the east side of the Pindus watershed extending south from Macedonia to the Aegean Sea The northern tier of Thessaly is defined by a generally southwest northeast spur of the Pindus range that includes Mount Olympus close to the Macedonian border Within that broken spur of mountains are several basins and river valleys The easternmost extremity of the spur extends southeastward from Mount Olympus along the Aegean coast terminating in the Magnesia Peninsula that envelops the Pagasetic Gulf also called the Gulf of Volos and forms an inlet of the Aegean Sea Thessaly s major river the Pineios flows eastward from the central Pindus Range just south of the spur emptying into the Thermaic Gulf The Trikala and Larissa lowlands form a central plain which is surrounded by a ring of mountains It has distinct summer and winter seasons with summer rains augmenting the fertility of the plains This has led to Thessaly occasionally being called the breadbasket of Greece The region is well delineated by topographical boundaries The Chasia and Kamvounia mountains lie to the north the Mount Olympus massif to the northeast To the west lies the Pindus mountain range to the southeast the coastal mountains of ossa and Pelion Several tributaries of the Pineios flow through the region Climate Edit Most of the province has a hot summer Mediterranean climate Koppen Csa but also found is a cold semi arid climate BSk including the capital Larissa on its Mediterranean edge of category Even in the north of Thessaly a rare humid subtropical climate Cfa can be found although it is different from a climate typically below or above the tropics it also marks the limit of this rare Cf subtype on the European continent e g the small village of Kalvia 42 Demographics EditThe population of the region of Thessaly was 687 527 in 2021 census The region has shrunk by 45 235 people between 2011 and 2021 experiencing a population loss of 6 2 1 In 2011 the population of the region of Thessaly was 732 762 and represented 6 8 of the total population of Greece A 2 8 decrease in the population since 2001 was noted but Thessaly remains Greece s third most populous region 43 The population break down is 44 urban 40 agrarian and 16 semi urban A decrease in the agrarian population has been accompanied by an increase in the semi urban population The metropolitan area of Larissa the capital of Thessaly is home to more than 230 000 people making it the biggest city of the region An Aromanian minority resides in Thessaly This region along with Epirus and Macedonia are the regions with the biggest concentrations of Greek Aromanians 44 Another notable population group of Thessaly are the Karagounides an ethnic Greek subgroup Major communities EditKarditsa Karditsa Larisa Larisa Trikala Trikala Volos Bolos Nea Ionia Nea Iwnia Metropolitan area of Volos Elassona Elassona Farsala Farsala Economy EditThe alluvial soils of the Pineios Basin and its tributaries make Thessaly a vital agricultural area particularly for the production of grain cattle and sheep Modernization of agricultural practices in the mid 20th century has controlled the chronic flooding that had restricted agricultural expansion and diversification in the low lying plains Thessaly is the leading cattle raising area of Greece and Aromanian shepherds move large flocks of sheep and goats seasonally between higher and lower elevations In the last few decades there has been a rise in the cultivation of dried nuts such as almonds pistachios and walnuts especially in the region of Almyros An increase in the number of olive oil trees has been also observed The nearly landlocked Gulf of Pagasai provides a natural harbor at Volos for shipping agricultural products from the plains and chromium from the mountains The Gross domestic product GDP of the province was 9 7 billion in 2018 accounting for 5 2 of Greek economic output GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 16 100 or 53 of the EU27 average in the same year The GDP per employee was 65 of the EU average 45 The unemployment rate stood at 20 6 in 2017 46 Year 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017unemployment rate in 8 2 7 8 8 3 9 2 12 1 16 8 22 6 25 4 25 4 26 9 25 5 20 6Transport EditThere are a number of highways such as E75 and the main railway from Athens to Thessaloniki Salonika crosses Thessaly The region is directly linked to the rest of Europe through International Airport of Central Greece which is located in Nea Anchialos a small distance from Volos and Larisa Charter flights link the region and bring tourists to the wider area mainly in Pelion and Meteora The new infrastructure includes a brand new terminal ready to serve 1500 passengers per hour and new airplanes Administration EditAlthough the historical region of Thessaly extended south into Phthiotis and at times north into West Macedonia today the term Thessaly is identified with the modern Administrative Region which was established in the 1987 administrative reform With the 2010 Kallikratis plan the powers and authority of the region were redefined and extended Along with Central Greece it is supervised by the Decentralized Administration of Thessaly and Central Greece based at Larissa The region of Thessaly is divided into five regional units four were pre Kallikratis prefectures Karditsa Larissa Magnesia the Sporades and Trikala which are further subdivided into twenty five municipalities Municipal Populations in Thessaly Regional Unit Municipality Population 2011 Larissa Agia 11 470Larissa Elassona 32 121Larissa Farsala 18 545Larissa Kileler 20 854Larissa Larissa 162 591Larissa Tempi 13 712Larissa Tyrnavos 25 032Sporades Skiathos 6 610Sporades Skopelos 4 960Sporades Alonnisos 2 750Magnesia Almyros 18 614Magnesia Rigas Feraios 10 922Magnesia South Pelion 10 216Magnesia Volos 144 449Magnesia Zagora Mouresi 5 809Karditsa Argithea 3 450Karditsa Karditsa 56 747Karditsa Lake Plastiras 4 635Karditsa Mouzaki 13 122Karditsa Palamas 16 726Karditsa Sofades 18 864Trikala Farkadona 13 396Trikala Kalampaka 21 991Trikala Pyli 14 343Trikala Trikala 81 355The region s governor is Konstantinos Agorastos el New Democracy who was elected in the 2010 local elections and re elected in 2014 and 2019 Ancient coinage Edit Silver hemidrachm of Pharsalos struck 450 400 BC Silver hemidrachm of Trikka struck 440 400 BC Silver hemidrachm of Thessalian League struck 470 460 BC Bronze coin of Ekkarra struck 325 320 BC Bronze coin of Krannon struck 400 344 BC Hemidrachm coin of Pelinna struck 460 420 BCSee also EditVale of Tempe List of traditional Greek place names CERETETH Center of Technology ThessalyReferences Edit a b Census 2021 GR PDF Press release Hellenic Statistical Authority 2022 07 19 Retrieved 2022 09 12 Sub national HDI Area Database Global Data Lab hdi globaldatalab org Retrieved 2021 07 20 P D March 6 1987 Ka8orismos twn Perifereiwn ths Xwras gia to sxediasmo k l p ths Perifereiakhs Anapty3hs Determination of the Regions of the Country for the planning etc of the development of the regions FEK pp 51 87 Beekes Robert 2009 Etymological Dictionary of Greek Brill Publishers ISBN 978 90 04 17418 4 Babiniotis Georgios 2009 Etymologiko Le3iko ths Neas Ellhnikhs Glwssas in Greek Lexicology Centre Farsharotu nr 30 p 14 For more see Homer Odyssey 10 1 Hesiod Theogony 630 631 Rhodes P J September 30 2014 A Short History of Ancient Greece I B Tauris p 59 ISBN 9781780765945 Retrieved December 24 2014 de Laet Sigfried J Herrmann Joachim January 1 1996 The Invasion of Slaves and Avars c 568 to 626 In Tapkova Zaimova Vasilka ed History of Humanity From the seventh century B C to the seventh century A D UNESCO p 252 ISBN 978 92 3 102812 0 Fine John V A Jr 1983 Early Medieval Balkans A Critical Survey From the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century University of Michigan Press ISBN 9780472100255 Fine 1991 p 30 Fine 1991 p 36 Fine 1991 p 63 Fine 1991 p 61 Fine 1991 p 79 Fine 1991 p 81 Fine 1991 p 66 Fine 1991 p 82 Fine 1991 p 216 Fine 1994 p 32 Fine 1994 pp 63 Fine 1994 pp 64 Fine 1994 p 68 Fine 1994 p 114 a b c Kazhdan 1991 p 2183 a b Kazhdan 1991 p 2184 Fine 1994 p 235 a b Fine 1994 p 241 Fine 1994 p 242 a b Fine 1994 p 243 Fine 1994 p 247 a b Fine 1994 p 253 Lopasic Alexander 1992 Cultural Values of the Albanians in the Diaspora In Winnifrith Tom ed Perspectives On Albania Springer p 90 ISBN 978 1 349 22050 2 Elsie Robert Texts and Documents of Albanian History albanianhistory net Retrieved 2021 10 09 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Magdalino Paul 2012 Between Romaniae Thessaly and Epirus in the Later Middle Ages In Arbel Benjamin Hamilton Bernard Jacoby David eds Latins and Greeks in the Eastern Mediterranean After 1204 Routledge p 103 ISBN 978 1136289163 Fine 1994 p 347 Savvides Alexis 1998 Splintered Medieval Hellenism The Semi Autonomous State of Thessaly A d 1213 1222 to 1454 1470 and ITS Place in History Byzantion 68 2 416 JSTOR 44172339 Following the Ottoman capture of Larissa in 1392 1393 the Turkish forces moved southward towards Hellas and invaded the Peloponnese which had already experienced their initial devastations the next decades would witness the building up of local resistance in Thessaly on the part of sections of Greeks Albanians and Vlachs who had taken to the mountains Daskalov Roumen Dontchev Marinov Tchavdar June 13 2013 Entangled Histories of the Balkans National Ideologies and Language Policies Vol 1 Brill Publishers p 159 ISBN 978 9004250765 Frits Waanders Thessalian in Encyclopedia of Ancient Greek Language and Linguistics Managing Editors Online Edition First Last Consulted online on 31 August 2020 lt http dx doi org 10 1163 2214 448X eagll COM 00000349 gt Buzarovska Eleni 2020 The contact hypothesis revised DOM in the South Slavic periphery Journal of Language Contact 13 1 57 95 doi 10 1163 19552629 bja10003 S2CID 225734803 Updated Koppen Geiger climate map of the world people eng unimelb edu au Retrieved 2019 01 18 Demographic and social characteristics of the Resident Population of Greece according to the 2011 Population PDF Housing Census Hellenic Statistical Authority September 12 2014 Archived from the original PDF on September 8 2015 Retrieved March 20 2014 Kahl Thede 2003 Aromanians in Greece Minority or Vlach speaking Greeks PDF Jahrbucher fur Geschichte und Kultur Sudosteuropas 5 205 219 Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30 to 263 of the EU average in 2018 Eurostat Regional Unemployment by NUTS2 Region Eurostat Sources EditFine John V A Jr 1991 1983 The Early Medieval Balkans A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth Century Ann Arbor University of Michigan Press ISBN 0 472 08149 7 Fine John V A Jr 1994 1987 The Late Medieval Balkans A Critical Survey from the Late Twelfth Century to the Ottoman Conquest Ann Arbor Michigan University of Michigan Press ISBN 0 472 08260 4 Kazhdan Alexander 1991 Vlachia In Kazhdan Alexander ed The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium Oxford and New York Oxford University Press ISBN 0 19 504652 8 Smith William ed 1857 Thessalia Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Vol 2 Walton and Mayberly pp 1165 1170 Retrieved 12 October 2018 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thessalia Official website in Greek Bagnall R J Drinkwater A Esmonde Cleary W Harris R Knapp S Mitchell S Parker C Wells J Wilkes R Talbert M E Downs M Joann McDaniel B Z Lund T Elliott S Gillies 15 February 2012 Places 991374 Thessalia Pleiades Retrieved March 8 2012 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Thessaly amp oldid 1131506112, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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