Pteleum or Pteleon (Ancient Greek: Πτελεόν), also Pteleos (Πτελεός), was a town of ancient Thessaly, on the south-western side of Phthiotis, and near the entrance of the Sinus Pagasaeus. It stood between Antron and Halos, and was distant from the latter 110 stadia, according to Artemidorus.[1] It is mentioned by Homer in the Catalogue of Ships in the Iliad as governed by Protesilaus, to whom the neighbouring town of Antron also belonged.[2]

In 200 BCE, during the Second Macedonian War, while the Romans and the forces of Attalus I besieged Oreus (on Euboea), Pteleum was attacked by part of Attalus' army.[3] In 192 BCE, Antiochus III landed at Pteleum in order to carry on the war against the Romans in Greece.[4] In 171 BCE, the town, having been deserted by its inhabitants, was destroyed by the consul Licinius.[5] It seems never to have recovered from this destruction, as Pliny the Elder, writing in the first century, speaks of Pteleum only as a forest.[6] Strabo relates that this city established a colony (also named Pteleum) in Elis.[7] The form Pteleos is used by Lucan[8] and Pomponius Mela.[9]

Pteleum's location is at a site called Ftelio near Gritsa.[10][11]

See also

References

  1. ^ Strabo. Geographica. Vol. ix. p.433. Page numbers refer to those of Isaac Casaubon's edition.
  2. ^ Homer. Iliad. Vol. 2.697.
  3. ^ Livy. Ab urbe condita Libri [History of Rome]. Vol. 36.46.
  4. ^ Livy. Ab urbe condita Libri [History of Rome]. Vol. 35.43.
  5. ^ Livy. Ab urbe condita Libri [History of Rome]. Vol. 42.67.
  6. ^ "nemus Pteleon" Pliny. Naturalis Historia. Vol. 4.8.15.
  7. ^ Strabo. Geographica. Vol. 8.3.25. Page numbers refer to those of Isaac Casaubon's edition.
  8. ^ Lucan, Pharsalia, 6.352.
  9. ^ Pomponius Mela. De situ orbis. Vol. 2.3.
  10. ^ Richard Talbert, ed. (2000). Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton University Press. p. 55, and directory notes accompanying. ISBN 978-0-691-03169-9.
  11. ^ Lund University. Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Pteleum". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.

39°02′01″N 22°58′29″E / 39.03369°N 22.97464°E / 39.03369; 22.97464


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