Listed 3 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for destination: "MELITEA Ancient city DOMOKOS".
A city of Achaia Phthiotis, it lies on the edge of the plain N of
Othrys watered by the Europos (Buziotikos) and the Elipeus (Chiliadhiotikos) just
above the plain on the N end of a N spur (Xerovouni) of Othrys. Modern Meliteia
(formerly Avaritsa) lies at the W edge of the ancient city. It issued coinage
in the 5th c. B.C. when it was associated with Pherai, was a chief city of the
Achaians, was joined to the Aitolian League probably from 265 B.C. Philip V failed
to take it in 217 B.C. (Polyb. 5.97.5f; 9.18.5-9). It belonged to the Thessalian
League after 189 B.C.
The wall circuit is visible, but poorly preserved. It included an
acropolis ca. 180 m above the plain, thence the walls included a triangular section
down to the plain. The walls down the hill are flanked by ravines. A cross-wall
divided the city into upper and lower halves. The wall where preserved is built
of irregularly sized rectangular blocks. It had a circuit of ca. 4 km. There is
a late 3d c. B.C. building inscription in the E wall. A cloister of Haghia Triadha
lies a little S of the acropolis, built partly on an ancient temple (?) foundation.
Meliteia's neighbor to the S was Narthakion; on the track there, 25 minutes S
of the city is a small fort. Forty minutes further is a church of Haghios Georgios,
probably on the site of a temple. Meliteia controlled a considerable area; a good
deal of inscriptional evidence exists for its boundaries. Its area has been estimated
at ca. 462 sq. km (Stahlin, RE).
T. S. Mackay, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
A town in Thessaly in Phthiotis, on the northern slope of Mount Othrys, and near the river Enipeus.
Meliteia. Melitaia, Meliteia, Melitia, Eth. Melitaieus, Meliteus. An ancient town of Phthiotis in Thessaly, situated near the river Enipeus, at the distance of 10 stadia from the town Hellas. (Strab. ix. p. 432.) The inhabitants of Melitaea affirmed that their town was anciently called Pyrrha, and they showed in the market-place the tomb of Hellen, the son of Deucalion and Pyrrha, (Strab. l. c.) When Brasidas was marching through Thessaly to Macedonia, his Thessalian friends met him at Melitaea in order to escort him (Thuc. iv. 78); and we learn from this narrative that the town was one day's march from Pharsalus, whither Brasidas proceeded on leaving the former place. In the Lamiac war the allies left their baggage at Melitaea, when they proceeded to attack Leonnatus. (Diod. xviii. 15.) Subsequently Melitaea was in the hands of the Aetolians. Philip attempted to take it, but he did not succeed, in consequence of his scaling-ladders being too short. (Polyb. v. 97, ix. 18.) Melitaea is also mentioned by Scylax, p. 24; Ephor. ap Steph. B. s. v.; Dicaearch. p. 21; Plin. iv. 9. s. 16; Ptol. iii. 13. § 46, who erroneously calls it Melitara. Leake identifies it with the ruins of an ancient fortress situated upon a lofty hill on the left bank of the Enipeus, at the foot of which stands the small village of Keuzlar. (Northern Greece, vol. iv. p. 469, seq.)
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited June 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
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