Prefecture of Larissa, Greece: Mythology and History, Mountain and Sea, City of Larissa. by Ilias Savvas 1

Prefecture of Larissa: the myths…live here 2

Location Larissa Athens Thessaloniki 3

Weather Conditions: From -535 (winter  summer) Celsius degrees Q U 4

Mythology… The presence of mount Olympus (the mount of 12 ancient Gods) in the northern section of the prefecture of Larissa has ensured that a mythological atmosphere has pervaded the area since ancient times. 5

…Mythology According to the myth, Larissa was built by Lariso, son of Pelasgos and was named such by the daughter of Pelasgos, Larissa (about 4,000 years ago), Besides Larissa, several other cities, as mentioned by Homer in the catalogue of ships, sent many men and ships to the Trojan War (Achilles was the most famous of them). 6

History: Prehistoric period (…11 B.C.) More than 50 Paleolithic sites, mainly along river Pineios. 7

History: Historic period (11 B.C.4 A.D.) From the late 7th B.C. Larissa became the most important Thessalian city. The Thessalians took part at the Trojian War, Persians Wars, and they were on the side of the Spartans against the Athenians in the Peloponnesian Wars (360 B.C.) 8

History: Roman period (354 B.C.4th c. A.D.) Larissa saw its final period of prosperity under the Romans when it became the seat of the new Common of Thessaly. 9

History: Christian period (4th c.14th c.) Long period of barbarian invasions. Many churches and monasteries were established. 10

History: Turkish Domination (15th c.19th c.) Large Turkish population established themselves in Thessaly and initially in Larissa, Several uprisings took place – the most important the revolution in Olympus mountain (1850). 11

History: New Greek State Larissa is the capital of the region of Thessaly -central Greece- and also the capital of the Prefecture of Larissa, Agricultural city but the majority of the farmers were tenant farmers for the few landlords. The 20th century began with the revolution of the farmers, and the land was partially redistributed. Second World War was a very bad period for Larissa since the city was heavily bombed. 12

Prefecture of Larissa: Mountain & Sea… Mountain OLYMPUS 13

Mountain Olympus… The Twelve Gods of ancient Greek mythology lived on the peaks from which they governed the fates of humans. 14

…Mountain Olympus Highest Peaks: Mytikas 2918m (7962 feet), Skolio 2911m, Stefani 2907m, Skala 2866m, Agios Antonios 2816m, Prophet Ilias 2803m, Toumpa 2802m… 15

Prefecture of Larissa: Mountain & Sea… The Aegean Sea has carved a rich lacework of large sandy beaches and jagged coastline dotted with small bays suitable for bathing and pebbled beaches in this region. 16

…Prefecture of Larissa: Mountain & Sea Interesting Places: Agiokampos, Velika, Stomio, Messagala,… 17

City of Larissa… The population of the greater area is around 250,000 (takes in some small suburban communities), City of Larissa: about 220,000 habitants, Capital of region of Thessaly and also capital of Prefecture of Larissa, Built in the same location since ancient times. The Cathedral (from Pineios river) 18

…City of Larissa… The ancient theatre 19

…City of Larissa… Art Gallery 20

…City of Larissa Wild horse: The city’s symbol 21

How to get to Larissa By air: Estimated time Athens-Larissa (350km) From most of European cities to Athens or Thessaloniki, From Athens or Thessaloniki to Larissa: by train (www.ose.gr), by bus (www.ktel.org.en/timetable.asp) or car. Estimated time Athens-Larissa (350km) Thessaloniki-Larissa (150km) train ~4 hours ~1h 20 min bus ~1h 30 min car ~3h 30 min 22