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| Pangaion Hills | |
|---|---|
 Snow-covered Pangaion hills from the forests of Kavala | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Koutra |
| Elevation | 1,956 m (6,417 ft) |
| Prominence | 1,773 m (5,817 ft)[1] |
| Listing | Ultra |
| Coordinates | 40°55′01″N24°04′58″E / 40.91694°N 24.08278°E /40.91694; 24.08278 |
| Geography | |
 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Regional unit | |
ThePangaion Hills (Greek:Παγγαίο,romanized: Pangéo;Ancient Greek:Καρμάνιον,romanized: Karmánion;Homeric Greek: Nysa; also called Pangaeon, Pangaeum) are amountain range inGreece, approximately 40 km fromKavala. The highest elevation is 1,956 m at the peak ofKoutra. TheAegean Sea lies to the south and the plains ofPhilippi-Kavala to the north. The mountain range covers the southeastern portion of theSerres regional unit as well as the northwestern part of theKavala regional unit which includes the bigger part of the hills.
The Ottoman Turks called the hillsPınar Dağ ("Spring Mount"). The Slavic name isKushnitsa (Кушница) orKushinitsa (Кушиница).
The hills are directly across a fertile plain from the ancient city ofPhilippi known for theBattle of Philippi a Roman-era civil war, which took place in 42 BC. They are located in the ancient country ofSintice, between theStrymon and theXiropotamos rivers and are covered in theoriental plane andchestnut trees. Towns found in the Pangaion hills includeNikisiani andPalaiochori which are agricultural in nature and grow mainlygrain andtobacco. The town of Palaiochori boasts the ruins of an ancientcastle on a peak overlooking the town.Gold andsilver were mined in the ancient times. The Athenian tyrantPisistratus was exiled in the middle of the mountain. It was the rich gold and silver available in the region that made the Athenians send out a colony in 465 to an area known as the Nine Roads (Ennéa Hodoí). The colonists were massacred by nearby Thracians and the colony was abandoned, though the Athenians would return to the area with their colony atAmphipolis.
Pangaion is very often referred to by ancient Greek and Latin sources.[2] It was famous for silver and gold mines, as well as for shipyard wood and the oracle ofDionysus.[3]
The municipality ofPangaio is named after this mountain range and the seat of the municipality isEleftheroupoli.
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| Geographic | |
