Old Pharsalos

Geography

Farsalas or Ancient Pharsalos is a city located in Thessaly, Greece near the foot of Mt. Narthacium. The origin of Farsalas people and city construction is not fully known. The city was first mentioned in historical texts after the Persian Wars, but its construction shows evidence of earlier inhabitation. Within the acropolis there are remnants of Cyclopian walls near the northern gateway and subterraneous construction in the middle of the acropolis that are similarly built to Mycenae construction. This evidence supports theories that Farsalus was previously called Phthia and was the capital city of Phthiotis. In ancient times Farsalas was a strong military position because of its position over the plains and rich resources (Smith, 1984).

Battle of Pharsala by Georgios Roilos (1867-1928)
[PD-ART:US]

Black Figure Loutrophoros
Vourva, Attica, 580 BCE; Sophilos
[Sharon Mollerus, Flickr, CC BY 2.0]

Culture

Farsalas partook in mainstream ancient Greek culture. It participated in the trade of ceramics, including those made by the famous artists Sophilos. The city worshipped the Greek pantheon and participated in many of the rituals and customs of the time. A majority of the culture was agriculturally based and still is in present times, with many households owning sheep, cattle, and goats. Since Farsalas was a military stronghold it commonly had a military presence (Kimler, 2001).

Role in History

The city of Pharsalus is presumed to be one of the last cities to fall to Caesar during the Roman expansion through Greek territory, but many of the topographical characteristics described in his account of the battle do not resemble the features that were there. Leading the actual battlefield to be anywhere between Larissa and Metropolis. Within this area there are dozen of archaeological sites that could possibly be the actual battlefield. Researchers are still debating exactly where the battle took place and where the troops were positioned (Lucas, 1921).

What Remains

To the east of Pharsalos there are walls of a fortified enclosure and close by there are walls of houses. Many tombs were dated back to the Bronze Age through pottery found within them along with Bronze Age stratum that seems to underlie the site. There are also Mycenaean tombs with the foundations of a little temple and Byzantine remains. This leaves a wide range of dating for the development and construction of Pharsalos (Payne, 1932).

For Further Reading

Kilmer, M. F. and R. Develin. (2001). Sophilos' Vase Inscriptions and Cultural Literacy in Archaic Athens. Phoenix, 55(1/2), 9-43. Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1089022

Lucas, F. L. (1919/1920 - 1920/1921). The Battlefield of Pharsalos. The Annual of the British School at Athens, 24, 34-53. Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30102514

Payne, H. G. G. (1932). Archaeology in Greece, 1931-2. The Journal of Hellenic Studies, 52(2), 236-255. Retrieved from: http://www.jstor.org/stable/625990

Smith, W. (1854). Greek and Roman Geography. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. Retrieved from: http://www.gtp.gr/LocInfo.asp?IncludeWide=0&InfoId=49&Code=EGRTLR5&PrimeCode=EGRTLR5&Level=5&PrimeLevel=5&LocId=12900&Entity=1016