Pteleum

Pteleum or Pteleon (Ancient Greek: Πτελεόν), also Pteleos (Πτελεός), was a town of ancient Thessaly, on the south-western side of Phthiotis, and near the entrance of the Sinus Pagasaeus. It stood between Antron and Halos, and was distant from the latter 110 stadia, according to Artemidorus.^[1] It is mentioned by Homer in the Catalogue of Ships in the Iliad as governed by Protesilaus, to whom the neighbouring town of Antron also belonged.^[2]

In 200 BCE, during the Second Macedonian War, while the Romans and the forces of Attalus I besieged Oreus (on Euboea), Pteleum was attacked by part of Attalus' army.^[3] In 192 BCE, Antiochus III landed at Pteleum in order to carry on the war against the Romans in Greece.^[4] In 171 BCE, the town, having been deserted by its inhabitants, was destroyed by the consul Licinius.^[5] It seems never to have recovered from this destruction, as Pliny the Elder, writing in the first century, speaks of Pteleum only as a forest.^[6] Strabo relates that this city established a colony (also named Pteleum) in Elis.^[7] The form Pteleos is used by Lucan^[8] and Pomponius Mela.^[9]

Pteleum's location is at a site called Ftelio near Gritsa.^[10]^[11]

References

^ Strabo. Geographica. Vol. ix. p.433. Page numbers refer to those of Isaac Casaubon's edition.
^ Homer. Iliad. Vol. 2.697.
^ Livy. Ab urbe condita Libri [History of Rome]. Vol. 36.46.
^ Livy. Ab urbe condita Libri [History of Rome]. Vol. 35.43.
^ Livy. Ab urbe condita Libri [History of Rome]. Vol. 42.67.
^ "nemus Pteleon" Pliny. Naturalis Historia. Vol. 4.8.15.
^ Strabo. Geographica. Vol. 8.3.25. Page numbers refer to those of Isaac Casaubon's edition.
^ Lucan, Pharsalia, 6.352.
^ Pomponius Mela. De situ orbis. Vol. 2.3.
^ Richard Talbert, ed. (2000). Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton University Press. p. 55, and directory notes accompanying. ISBN 978-0-691-03169-9.
^ Lund University. Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire.

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Pteleum". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.

39°02′01″N 22°58′29″E / 39.03369°N 22.97464°E / 39.03369; 22.97464

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[1] Strabo. Geographica. Vol. ix. p.433. Page numbers refer to those of Isaac Casaubon's edition.

[2] Homer. Iliad. Vol. 2.697.

[3] Livy. Ab urbe condita Libri [History of Rome]. Vol. 36.46.

[4] Livy. Ab urbe condita Libri [History of Rome]. Vol. 35.43.

[5] Livy. Ab urbe condita Libri [History of Rome]. Vol. 42.67.

[6] "nemus Pteleon" Pliny. Naturalis Historia. Vol. 4.8.15.

[7] Strabo. Geographica. Vol. 8.3.25. Page numbers refer to those of Isaac Casaubon's edition.

[8] Lucan, Pharsalia, 6.352.

[9] Pomponius Mela. De situ orbis. Vol. 2.3.

[10] Richard Talbert, ed. (2000). Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton University Press. p. 55, and directory notes accompanying. ISBN 978-0-691-03169-9.

[11] Lund University. Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire.

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