An early photograph in Servet-i Fünûn journal with French & Ottoman Turkish captions from Elassona during the Ottoman Era: "A Valley near Elassona"
Due to its location on the passes leading from the Thessalian plain to Macedonia, the site of Elassona was always of some strategic importance.[2]
Antiquity and Middle Ages
Elassona was known as Oloosson (Ὀλοοσσών) in antiquity. In the Iliad it was mentioned in Homer's Catalogue of Ships, providing armed contingents that supported the Greek side in the Trojan War.[3]
Monument of the Greek revolutionary fighter Nikotsaras
The Ottoman tax registry of 1521 counted 311 Christian and 35 Muslim households in Elassona.[4] In the Ottoman tahrir defter of 1544, the town included Selanik Yörüks,[5] who had military obligations that required them to give five soldiers (eşküncü) and 20 assistants (yamaks) per household (ocak).[6] During the Ottoman period devshirme was practiced in the area and janissaries were recruited from Elassona (Alasonya[7] in Ottoman Turkish) as shown in an Ottoman register of 1603–1604.[8] Some Christians of Elassona also rebelled in 1821 under the armatole captain of Elassona. However, in less than a year they asked for amnesty under the same captain and stated that the reaya of some other localities are about to follow suit and were granted amnesty. The Ottomans declared in February 1822 that if the rebellious reaya beg for pardon, their appeal were to be accepted, so long as they meet the specified conditions.[9]
The municipality Elassona was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 9 former municipalities, that became municipal units:[11]
Until March 15, 2006, Tsaritsani was part of the municipality (now municipal unit) of Elassona and functioned as a municipal district. Under the law 3448/15-3-2006, Tsaritsani got separated from the municipality and declared a commune. The loss of its population and land leaves the remaining municipality with an adjusted 2001 census population of 12,056 and a land area of 291.097 km².
Province
The province of Elassona (Greek: Επαρχία Ελασσόνας) was one of the provinces of the Larissa Prefecture. It had the same territory as the present municipality.[12] It was abolished in 2006.
The municipality Elassona has an area of 1565.2 km2, the municipal unit Elassona has an area of 291.097 km2 (excluding Tsaritsani), and the community Elassona has an area of 102.515 km2.[13]
Its geography includes farmlands in the valley areas, the mountains to the west and east and forests in the west and east as well as grasslands, ledges are to be founded in some areas and barren area in the higher elevations.
The rivers Elassonitis (or Elassonitikos) and Titarisio flow through Elassona and they both flow into the Pineios River, Thessaly's longest river. The river divides the town into two parts, the older city built on the Olympiotissa hill and is also Varosi or Varossi (Βαρόσι), and the new city on the right bank of the river. These two parts of the city are connected by four bridges, one of which is an ancient stone arch bridge. The other part is near the Kefalovrysi Lake.
Transportation
Elassona is linked with the old GR-3 and is bypassed to the east. Elassona is located 70 km southwest of Katerini, 38 km NNW of Larissa (old: about 50 km), 22 km NW of Tyrnavos (old: 30 km), east of Deskati and Grevena and 78 km ESE of Kozani.
^King, Carol J. (28 July 2017). Ancient Macedonia. Routledge. p. 57. ISBN978-1-351-71031-2. The northernmost contingent fighting on the side of the Greeks at Troy came from Oloosson (Elassona) in Thessaly.
^Ünal 2013, p. 16: "Bunlar Ofçabolu Yörükleri, Vize Yörükleri-Bozapa Tatarları ve Canbazlar, Tanrıdağı Yörükleri, Selanik Yörükleri ve Tırhala Tatarları, Naldöken ve Aktav Yörükleri, Kocacık Yörükleri zaimleridir. Yörükler ve Tatarlar 5 eşküncü ve 20 yamaktan meydene gelen 25 kişilik ocaklar halinde teşkilâtlanmışlardır."
^ ab"ALASONYA". TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish). Retrieved 2022-10-13.
