Founding of Thessaloniki

Nyhet

A Comparison of Literary, Archaeological and Topographical Evidence

Häftad, Engelska, 2026

909 kr

Kommande

The book examines the founding of Thessaloniki, one of the most important and enduring Hellenistic cities. It brings together various topics relating to Cassander’s foundation, some of them reconsidered and others examined for the first time, and is informed by the results of the archaeological research of the region around modern Thessaloniki that has taken place in the last 40 years and significant topographical observations that result from them, including the huge impact that the foundation of Thessaloniki had on the settlement map around the Thermaic Gulf.Most important is the examination of the data on the founding of Thessaloniki that may be derived from Strabo’s work, the only ancient source that describes the event. The two relevant fragments are discussed in detail. Finally, the book examines some issues relating to the founding of Thessaloniki that were not touched upon by Strabo, including the motivations and ambitions behind Cassander’s founding of the new city, as well as the outcomes and general impact of its establishment.In this monograph, all the components of both the textual and the current archaeological evidence are analytically and comparatively examined, while comparisons with other cases of synoecism, especially within the same timeframe, that are described in the ancient literature are made, in an effort to shed more light on the topography around Thessaloniki before and immediately after its founding. Among the main objectives of the book are: to produce an original contribution to modern scholarship by advancing our understanding of the way an important Hellenistic city was founded through the procedure of synoecism; to demonstrate that when it comes to historical/archaeological questions of a topographical nature, the literary and archaeological evidence is deficient if it is not supplemented by topographical data, something for which there are many more convenient tools available today than there were some decades ago; to encourage further research on key aspects of the archaeology and ancient history of central Macedonia.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2026-05-15
Mått170 x 240 x undefined mm
FormatHäftad
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor208
FörlagCasemate Publishers
ISBN9798888572573

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Manolis Manoledakis is Professor of Classical Archaeology at the International Hellenic University in Thessaloniki. His research concentrates on the archaeology and ancient history of the Black Sea as well as central Macedonia, the ancient topography and geography of these areas, ancient Greek religion, Greek mythology in its historical context, and ancient Greek painting and vase-painting. He is the director of two post-graduate programmes of the International Hellenic University’s School of Humanities, the MA in Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean Studies and the MA in the Classical Archaeology and the Ancient History of Macedonia, as well as the director of the university’s excavation in Neo Rysio, near Thessaloniki.

PrefaceINTRODUCTIONPART I. THE EVIDENCE FROM STRABO’S WORK1. The relevant fragments2. A comparison of the two epitomes2.1. Generally2.2. Some minor differences2.3. On the fate of the synoecised settlements after the synoecism2.4. On the number of synoecised settlements2.5. On the urban status of the synoecised settlements2.6. On the names of the synoecised settlements2.7. Conclusion3. Defining the area of the twenty-six synoecised settlements4. The known ancient sites within the area that gave population to Thessaloniki5. The settlements mentioned by Strabo5.1. Apollonia5.2. Chalastra5.3. Gareskos and Aeneia5.4. Kissos6. Which were the other twenty settlements?PART II. THE CASE OF THERME1. Introduction2. Thracian, Greek, or Macedonian?3. Where was Therme located?3.1. The theories that have been put forward3.2. The archaeological evidence3.2.1. Thermi3.2.2. Toumba3.2.3. Karabournaki3.2.4. Thessaloniki3.3. The textual evidence3.4. Concluding remarks4. Was Therme organised kata komas?4.1. Briefly on the term kome4.2. The meaning of the expressions komedon and kata komas in the ancient Greek literature4.3. Attested or possible kata komas settlements in Greece4.4. Komai in Macedonia4.5. About Therme4.5.1. Topographical remarks4.5.2. Historical remarksPART III. THE FOUNDING OF THESSALONIKI: MOTIVATIONS AND IMPACT1. Synoecisms in the Hellenistic period2. Cassander’s synoecisms3. The role of the harbour in the synoecism of Thessaloniki4. The impact of Thessaloniki’s founding on the wider region5. Some thoughts on the status of settlements remaining after the synoecismCONCLUSIONSAbbreviationsBibliography