Iolcus Iωλκός | |
|---|---|
  Iolcus Location within the regional unit  | |
| Coordinates:39°23′N22°59′E / 39.383°N 22.983°E /39.383; 22.983 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | Thessaly |
| Regional unit | Magnesia |
| Municipality | Volos |
| Area | |
| • Municipal unit | 1.981 km2 (0.765 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 156 m (512 ft) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
| • Municipal unit | 2,008 |
| • Municipal unit density | 1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 385 00 |
| Area code(s) | 24210 |
| Vehicle registration | ΒΟ |
| Website | www.iolkos.gr |
Iolcus (/aɪˈɒlkəs/; also renderedIolkos/aɪˈɒlkɒs/;Ancient Greek:Ἰωλκός and Ἰαωλκός;Doric Greek:Ἰαλκός;Greek:Ιωλκός) is an ancientcity, a modern village and a formermunicipality inMagnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part ofVolos, of which it is a municipal unit.[2] It is located in central Magnesia, north of thePagasitic Gulf. Its land area is 1.981 km2.[3] The municipal unit is divided into three communities, Agios Onoufrios (pop. 433), Anakasia (pop. 888) and Ano Volos (pop. 687), with a total population of 2,008 (2021 census).[1] The seat of the former municipality was the village of Ano Volos.
According to ancient Greek mythology,Aeson was the rightful king of Iolcus, but his half-brotherPelias usurped the throne. It was Pelias who sent Aeson's sonJason and hisArgonauts to look for theGolden Fleece. The shipArgo set sail from Iolcus with a crew of fifty demigods and princes under Jason's leadership. Their mission was to reachColchis inAea at the eastern seaboard of theBlack Sea and to reclaim and bring back the Golden Fleece.
Along with the Golden Fleece, Jason brought a wife, the sorceressMedea—kingAeetes' daughter, granddaughter ofHelios, niece ofCirce, princess of Aea, and later queen of Iolcus,Corinth and Aea, and also murderer of her brotherAbsyrtus, and her two sons from Jason. She is a tragic figure whose trials and tribulations were artfully dramatized in the much-staged play byEuripides,Medea.
Iolcus is mentioned byHomer, in theCatalogue of Ships in theIliad, and later in theOdyssey; he gives it the epithets of ἐϋκτιμένη ("well built") and εὐρύχορος ("with broad places", "spacious").[4][5] TheBibliotheca ofPseudo-Apollodorus says the city was founded byCretheus,[6] and to have been colonised byMinyans fromOrchomenos.[7]
In antiquity, Iolcus was situated inMagnesia,ancient Thessaly, and was apolis (city-state).[8] It is rarely mentioned in historical times. It was given by theThessalians toHippias, upon his expulsion fromAthens in 511/510 BCE, but he rejected it.[9] It is also quoted in thePeriplus of Pseudo-Scylax as a city belonging toMagnesia.[10] The town afterward suffered from the disputes of its inhabitants, but it was finally ruined byDemetrius Poliorcetes' foundation ofDemetrias in 294 BCE, when the inhabitants of Iolcus and of other adjoining towns were removed to that place.[11] It seems to have been no longer in existence in the time ofStrabo, since he speaks of the place where Iolcus stood.[12] Strabo states that a festal assembly was held there in honor ofPelias.[11]
The position of Iolcus is indicated by Strabo, who says that it was on the road fromBoebe to Demetrias, and at the distance of 7stadia from the latter.[13] In another passage he says that Iolcus is situated above the sea at the distance of 7 stadia from Demetrias.[14]Pindar places Iolcus is at the foot ofMount Pelion, consequently a little inland.[15] It might indeed appear, fromLivy,[16] that Iolcus was situated upon the coast; but in this passage, as well as in Strabo,[14] The name of Iolcus seems to have been given to this part of the coast and the city itself.
Ancient Iolcus' location is at the Volos Kastro,[17][18] located at39°21′59″N22°58′08″E / 39.366305°N 22.96886°E /39.366305; 22.96886.[18]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2,415 | — |
| 2001[3] | 2,081 | −13.8% |
| 2011[19] | 2,138 | +2.7% |
| 2021[1] | 2,008 | −6.1% |
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Iolcus".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
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