- Modern Greek:
- Thessalía
Thessaly
-
Where is Thessaly located?
Thessaly is a region in northern Greece, south of Macedonia. It lies between upland Epirus and the Aegean Sea, mainly comprising the fertile Tríkala and Lárissa lowlands.
Thessaly is well-defined by natural boundaries:
* The Khásia and Cambunian mountains to the north.
* The Óthrys massif to the south.
* The main Pindus Mountains to the west.
* The Olympus massif to the northeast.
* The coastal ranges of Óssa and Pelion to the southeast.The region is drained by tributaries of the Pineiós River, which flows into the Aegean Sea through the Vale of Tempe.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What type of landforms are found in Thessaly?
The region of Thessaly in Greece is characterized by a diverse landscape with several distinct landforms. It is surrounded by topographical boundaries, including the Khásia and Cambunian mountains to the north, the Óthrys massif to the south, the main Pindus Mountains to the west, the Olympus massif to the northeast, and the coastal ranges of Óssa and Pelion to the southeast.
The area consists chiefly of the fertile Tríkala and Lárissa lowlands and is generally the most level district of Greece. The Pineiós River and its tributaries drain Thessaly, emptying into the Aegean Sea through the Vale of Tempe. The Magnesia Peninsula, an extension of the Pelion massif, encloses the Pagasitikós Gulf to the southeast.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What is the climate like in Thessaly?
The climate of Thessaly, a region in eastern Greece, is influenced by its geographical location. The Pindus Mountains to the west create a rain shadow, resulting in less precipitation on the Thessalian plain to the east.
Greece has a Mediterranean climate with regional and local variations due to its diverse physical geography. In general, winters bring warm, moist, westerly winds, while summers are hot and dry. The Pineiós River flows through the mountains and plains of Thessaly, eventually emptying into the Gulf of Therma.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some important cities in Thessaly?
Thessaly, a region in northern Greece, features a southwestern sector dominated by Trikala and an eastern sector centered on Larissa. Trikala was the capital when the Turks assumed rule in 1394, while Larissa became the capital of the reorganized Thessalian League under Rome.
Larissa is central to Thessaly’s thriving agricultural economy, producing ouzo and silk cloth.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How has Thessaly been important in Greek history?
The region of Thessaly in northern Greece has been important throughout Greek history due to its fertile lowlands and strategic location.
Thessaly was home to an extensive Neolithic culture around 2500 BCE. Later, the Thessali entered the fertile plain from Thesprotía in southern Epirus and imposed aristocratic rule on the older inhabitants. The plains proved well suited to horse breeding, and the Thessalians were strong in cavalry.
During the Greco-Persian Wars, the Aleuads joined the Persians. After the 4th century, they were usually Macedonian vassals until, in 148, Rome incorporated Thessaly into the province of Macedonia. Athens allied itself with Thessaly, which was a blow to Spartan ambitions in central Greece, an area into which one group of Spartans always seems to have wanted to expand.
3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Thessaly, region of northern Greece south of Macedonia (Modern Greek: Makedonía), lying between upland Epirus (Ípeiros) and the Aegean Sea and comprising chiefly the fertile Tríkala and Lárissa lowlands. It is well delineated by topographical boundaries: the Khásia and Cambunian mountains to the north, the Óthrys massif to the south, the main Pindus (Píndos) Mountains to the west, the Olympus (Ólympos) massif to the northeast, and the coastal ranges of Óssa (Kíssavos or Óssa) and Pelion (Pílios) to the southeast. Thessaly is drained by several tributaries of the Pineiós (also called Peneus) River, which empties into the Aegean Sea after passing through the Vale of Tempe. Several passes carry highway traffic to and from the region, and the main railway from Athens (Athína) to Thessaloníki enters Thessaly by the Coela Pass and exits through the Vale of Tempe.
Generally the most level district of Greece, Thessaly is split by a range of hills into a southwestern sector dominated by the town of Tríkala and an eastern sector centring on Lárissa (Lárisa). To the southeast the Magnesia Peninsula, a prolongation of the Pelion (Pílios) massif, encloses the Pagasitikós Gulf (Gulf of Vólos).
The home of an extensive Neolithic culture to about 2500 bce, Thessaly later remained on the fringe of the Bronze Age civilization of Greece, although Mycenaean settlements have been discovered, as at Iolcos near Vólos. Toward the end of the Mycenaean period the Thessali entered the fertile plain from Thesprotía in southern Epirus and imposed an aristocratic rule on the older inhabitants. The rich lowlands became the home of such baronial families as the Aleuads of Lárissa and the Scopads of Crannon, who organized a pan-Thessalian federation under an elected military chief and controlled the Amphictyonic League of northern Greek states in the 6th century bce. The plains proved well suited to horse breeding, and the Thessalians were strong in cavalry.
In the Classical period the natural isolation and character of the people kept Thessaly aloof from the main currents of Greek life. Politically unstable because of tribal rivalries, they never long sustained a concerted action. The Aleuads joined the Persians during the Greco-Persian Wars. After the 4th century they were usually Macedonian vassals until, in 148, Rome incorporated Thessaly into the province of Macedonia.
About 300 ce the emperor Diocletian made Thessaly a province, with its capital at Lárissa; in the Byzantine Empire it was attached to the theme (military district) of Thessalonica. From the 7th century to the 13th it was invaded or controlled by Slavs, Saracens, Bulgars, and Normans. The influx of nomad Vlachs (Walachians) from the Danube was so intensive by the 12th and 13th centuries that Thessaly came to be called Great Walachia (Megale Vlachia); colonies of Vlach herdsmen are still found there. In the 14th century it was overrun by Catalans and Serbs, the latter setting up the capital at Tríkala. When in 1394 the Turks assumed rule, they retained Tríkala as seat of the pasha of Thessaly. In 1881 most of Thessaly was ceded to Greece by Turkey, and after the Balkan Wars (1912–13) the remainder north of the Vale of Tempe passed into the Greek kingdom.