PALAIOPHARSALOS
Thessaly, Greece.
Said
by some ancient authors to be the nearest site to the
battle where Caesar defeated Pompey in 48 B.C. (notably
Bell. Alex. 48.1;
Strab. 17.796; Frontinus,
Strateg.,
2.3.22, etc.). The battle was apparently fought near Pharsalos, on the left (S) bank of the Enipeus, but the site
is much disputed. It is otherwise mentioned as being near
the Thetideion (
Strab. 9.431, s.v. Pharsalos), and as having been sacked by Philip V in 198 B.C. (
Livy 32.13.9;
44.1.5). Two sites in the Pharsalos area seem possible for
Palaiopharsalos. At Ktouri, an isolated hill (211 m) on
the left bank of the Enipeus ca. 13 km NW of Pharsalos
are two fortress walls around the hill, the lower made of
two-faced rough polygonal masonry, 1693 m in circuit,
which appears to be at least in part Cyclopean, the upper
of small irregular stones and blocks. The plan of the upper
fortification was determined; it is roughly oval, ca. 125
in in circuit, with square towers. Inside this were a few
small walls. It was apparent that the hill housed a garrison only. At the W foot of the hill is a mound (magoula). At the N of this were the foundations of a
small, rectangular building (6 x 14 m) probably a temple. Two fragments of marble palmettes (acroteria?) of
the archaic period were found here. Sherds from the magoula and E of it were mainly Mycenaean and Protogeometric. A handsome archaic bronze statuette of a warrior (Athens NM 15,409) was found by chance. Excavations by the nearby Chapel of Haghios Ioannis revealed
an ancient peribolos wall around the chapel, which had
evidently been erected over a Classical building. The site
at Ktouri has variously been identified as Palaiopharsalos
and Euhydrion (the latter favored by Béquignon and
Stählin). Euhydrion is little known, and was destroyed
in 198 B.C. by Philip V.
At Palaiokastro, a hill on the left bank of the Enipeus,
which flows at its foot, by Ambelia (Derengli), some
9 km E of Pharsalos brief excavations were carried out
by Béquignon in 1931. Traces of a circuit wall were discovered on the E and W sides of the hilltop. Only a foundation of small stones remained. Inside the circuit were parts of foundation walls, probably of houses. By
one of these was found a black-figure dinos fragment
signed by Sophilos (
ABV 39.16). A number of tombs
were discovered within the circuit. Sherds found range
from Middle Helladic to black-glazed, and the site seems
to have been abandoned around the end of the 6th c. B.C.
The excavator identifies it as Palaiopharsolos, an identification favored also by Stählin. Near Ambelia a trial
excavation in 1963 uncovered two graves and terracotta
stamped plaques and figurines of the archaic-Classical
period.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
F. Stählin,
Das hellenische Thessalien
(1924) 142f; Y. Béquignon in
BCH 52 (1928) 9-44
MPI;
56 (1932) 89-191
MPI; V. Milojćić in
AA (1955) 228 (Cyclop. wall at Ktouri); D. Theocharis in
Deltion 18
(1963) chron. 143
I.
T. S. MACKAY
