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{{About|the ancient city in Thessaly, Greece|the modern village in Greece|Pythio}}
[[File:Thessaly.jpg|thumb|300px|Map showing ancient Thessaly. Pythion is shown to the centre top near Mount Olympus.]]
'''Pythion''' ({{langx|el|Πύθιον}}) or '''Pythium''', also '''Pythoion''' (Πύθοιον) was a city and [[polis]] (city-state)<ref name=Poleis>{{cite book|author= Mogens Herman Hansen & Thomas Heine Nielsen |title= An inventory of archaic and classical poleis|year= 2004|publisher= [[Oxford University Press]]|location=New York|isbn= 0-19-814099-1|chapter= Thessaly and Adjacent Regions|pages= 726–727}}</ref> of [[Perrhaebia]] in [[ancient Thessaly]], situated at the foot of [[Mount Olympus]], and forming a [[Tripolis (region of Thessaly)|Tripolis]] with the two neighbouring towns of [[Azorus]] and [[Doliche (Thessaly)|Doliche]]. Pythion derived its name from a temple of [[Apollo|Apollo Pythius]] situated on one of the summits of Olympus, as we learn from an epigram of [[Xeinagoras]], a [[Ancient Greece|Greek]] [[mathematician]], who measured the height of Olympus from these parts.<ref>''ap.'' [[Plutarch|Plut.]] ''Aemil. Paul.'' 15.</ref> Games were also celebrated here in honour of Apollo.<ref>{{Cite Stephanus|''s.v.'' Πύθιον}}</ref>

==Geography==
Pythion commanded an important pass across Mount Olympus. This pass and that of [[Vale of Tempe|Tempe]] are the only two leading from [[Macedon]]ia into the northeast of Thessaly.<ref>{{Cite Livy|42.53}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Ptolemy|3.13.42}}</ref>

==History==
During the reign of [[Amyntas III]] or [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip II]], the Tripolis  was annexed to Macedon. According to [[Theagenes (historian)|Theagenes]] the inhabitants of [[Balla (Pieria)|Balla]] were relocated to Pythion. So we find in 3rd century BC an epigram regarding Philarchos son of Hellanion, Macedonian [[Elimiotis|Elimiote]] from Pythion, [[proxenos]] in Delphi.<ref>[http://epigraphy.packhum.org/inscriptions/oi?ikey=240649&bookid=452&region=3&subregion=7 FD III 4:417]</ref><ref>City and sanctuary in ancient Greece: the Theorodokia in the Peloponnese By Paula Jean Perlman Page 127 {{ISBN|3-525-25218-8}}</ref>

During the [[Roman–Seleucid War]], the Tripolis was ravaged by an army of [[Aetolians]] in the year 191&nbsp;BCE<ref>{{Cite Livy|36.10}}</ref> During the [[Third Macedonian War]] the three towns surrendered to the army of [[Perseus of Macedon]] in the year 171&nbsp;BCE,<ref>{{Cite Livy|42.53}}</ref> but that same year the [[ancient Rome|Romans]] reconquered the three.<ref>{{Cite Livy|42.67}}</ref> In the year 169&nbsp;BCE troops arrived from the Roman consul [[Quintus Marcius Philippus (consul 186 BC)|Quintus Marcius Philippus]] who camped between Azorus and Doliche.<ref>{{Cite Polybius|28.13.1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Livy|44.2}}</ref>

The three cities minted a common coin with the inscription "ΤΡΙΠΟΛΙΤΑΝ".<ref>{{cite book|author= Mogens Herman Hansen & Thomas Heine Nielsen |title= An inventory of archaic and classical poleis|year= 2004|publisher= [[Oxford University Press]]|location=New York|isbn= 0-19-814099-1|chapter= Thessaly and Adjacent Regions|pages= 721–722}}</ref>

Although the site is occupied by a modern town of [[Pythio, Larissa|Pythio]], virtually no remains of the ancient town have been discovered there.<ref>{{Cite DGRG|title=Pythium}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*{{SmithDGRG|title=Pythium}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|40.05773|N|22.21913|E|format=dms|display=title|source:http://dare.ht.lu.se/places/34669.html}}

[[Category:Cities in ancient Greece]]
[[Category:Populated places in ancient Thessaly]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Greece]]
[[Category:Apollo]]
[[Category:Mount Olympus]]
[[Category:Macedonian colonies in Thessaly]]
[[Category:Perrhaebia]]
[[Category:Thessalian city-states]]
[[Category:Elassona]]

{{AncientThessaly-geo-stub}}