Farsala Φάρσαλος | |
|---|---|
 View of Farsala from the Ancient Pharsalus Acropolis | |
 | |
  Farsala | |
| Coordinates:39°18′N22°23′E / 39.300°N 22.383°E /39.300; 22.383 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | Thessaly |
| Regional unit | Larissa |
| Area | |
• Municipality | 739.7 km2 (285.6 sq mi) |
| • Municipal unit | 121.433 km2 (46.886 sq mi) |
| • Community | 57.928 km2 (22.366 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 160 m (520 ft) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Municipality | 16,341 |
| • Density | 22.09/km2 (57.22/sq mi) |
| • Municipal unit | 9,520 |
| • Municipal unit density | 78.4/km2 (203/sq mi) |
| • Community | 9,027 |
| • Community density | 155.8/km2 (403.6/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 403 00 |
| Area code | 24910 |
| Vehicle registration | ΡΙ |
| Website | www.farsala.gr |
Farsala (Greek:Φάρσαλα), known in Antiquity asPharsalos (Ancient Greek:Φάρσαλος,Latin:Pharsālus), is a town in southernThessaly, inGreece. Farsala is located in the southern part ofLarissa regional unit, and is one of its largest settlements. Farsala is an economic and agricultural centre of the region.Cotton andlivestock are the main agricultural products, and many inhabitants are employed in the production of textile. The area is mostly famous for being the birthplace of the mythical ancient Greek heroAchilles, and the site of amajor battle between Roman generalsGaius Julius Caesar andGnaeus Pompeius Magnus in 48 BC.
Farsala lies at the southern edge of theThessalian Plain, 4 km south of the riverEnipeas. TheGreek National Road 3 (Larissa -Lamia) and theGreek National Road 30 (Karditsa -Volos) pass through the town. ThePalaiofarsalos railway station (litt. "Ancient Pharsalus"), on theline from Athens to Thessaloniki and head of thebranch line to Kalambaka, is located in the village ofStavros, 12 km to the west. Farsala is located 38 km south of Larissa, 41 km east ofKarditsa, 44 km north ofLamia and 49 km west ofVolos.
The municipality Farsala has an area of 739.74 km2, the municipal unit Farsala has an area of 121.433 km2, and the community Farsala has an area of 57.928 km2.[2]
The HomericPhthia of theMycenaean period, capital of the Kingdom of theMyrmidons and ofPeleus, father ofAchilles, has sometimes been identified with the later city of Pharsalos (Greek: Φάρσαλος), now Farsala. ACyclopean Wall which protected a city still exists today near modern Farsala, as does a vaulted tomb from that period.
There is a theory that claimed the existence of an earlier Pharsalos in the form of a locality identified asPalaepharsalus. This is supported by excavated remains of a fortified site called Xylades nearEnipeus, which is located in the easternmost part of the Pharsalian territory.[3] This ancient site was also associated by accounts of ancient writers with a holy place dedicated toThetis calledThetidium.[3] For instance, Euripides used this as a setting forAndromache.
The Pharsalos of the historic era was built over a hillside of theNarthacius mountains at an elevation of some 160 m, where modern Farsala stands. It was one of the main cities inThessaly and was the capital of thePhthiantetrarch.[dubious –discuss] It was also apolis (city-state).[4]
In thePersian Wars it sided with the Athenians. A distinctive tribe of the city was that of Echecratidon. In 455 BC Pharsalos was besieged by theAthenian commanderMyronides, after his victory inBoeotia, but without success.[5] At the commencement of thePeloponnesian War, Pharsalus was one of the Thessalian towns that sent succour to the Athenians.[6]Medius of Larissa took Pharsalus by force, about 395 BC.[7] Pharsalus, under the conduct ofPolydamas, resistedJason of Pherae for a time, but subsequently formed an alliance with him.[8]
In the early 4th century BC, the city was a part of the Thessalian Commons. Later, it joined theMacedonian Kingdom underPhilip II. The area became a theatre of war where theAetolians and the Thessalians clashed with the Macedonians, especially during theSecond and theThird Macedonian Wars.
The city during the classical period was influential as demonstrated in the influence wielded by the tetrarch Daochos, who ruled from Pharsalos.[9] He was part of the Council ofAmphictyonic League, administered theTemple of Apollo at Delphi, and conducted thePythian Games. Daochos built several monuments at Pharsalos dedicated to members of his family. Parts of the eight portraits that survived showed classical style, depicting subjects in their youthful vigor.[9]
In the war betweenAntiochus III and theRomans, Pharsalus was for a time in the possession of the Syrian monarch; but on the retreat of the latter, it surrendered to the consulAcilius Glabrio in 191 BC.[10]
After the defeat of the Macedonian Kingdom, Pharsalos and the whole area became a part of theRoman Republic.
The whole area suffered great destruction during theRoman Civil War. TheBattle of Pharsalus, whereJulius Caesar defeatedPompey and changed the course of theRoman Republic forever, took place in 48 BC in the fields of the Pharsalian Plain.
The geographerStrabo speaks of two towns, Old Pharsalos, Παλαιοφάρσαλος (Palaeopharsalos) and Pharsalos, existing in historical times. His statement (9.5.6) that the Thetideion, the temple toThetis south ofScotussa, was “near both the Pharsaloi, the Old and the New”, seems to imply that Palaeopharsalos was not itself close by Pharsalos. Although the battle of 48 BC is called after Pharsalos, four ancient writers – the author of theBellum Alexandrinum (48.1),Frontinus (Strategemata 2.3.22),Eutropius (20), andOrosius (6.15.27) – place it specifically atPalaeopharsalos. In 198 BCPhilip V had sacked Palaeopharsalos (Livy 32.13.9). If that town had been close to Pharsalos he would have sacked both, and Livy would have written “Pharsalus” instead of “Palaeopharsalus”. The British scholarF. L. Lucas demonstrated (Annual of the British School at Athens, No. XXIV, 1919–21) that the battle of 48 BC must have been foughtnorth of the Enipeus, near modern-day Krini. It has been suggested[11] that Krini was built on the site of Palaeopharsalos, where the old road south from Larissa emerged from the hills on to the Pharsalian Plain.
In the time ofPliny the Elder, Pharsalus was a free state.[12] It is also mentioned byHierocles in the sixth century.[13]
Farsala was known asÇatalca during Ottoman rule.
Following theTreaty of Berlin the city became part of theHellenic Kingdom together with the rest ofThessaly in 1881. During theFirst Greco-Turkish War (1897), amajor battle [el] took place in the vicinity of Farsala.
The contemporary town has no historical or medieval buildings left as a result of aWorld War II bombardment anda catastrophic earthquake that struck the area in 1954. Small scale urbanization processes attracted population from surrounding villages during the 80's and 90's creating an urban landscape typical of Greek cities with small apartment buildings in nearby plots of land.
The municipality Farsala was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 4 former municipalities, that became municipal units:[14]
The province of Farsala (Greek:Επαρχία Φαρσάλων) was one of theprovinces of the Larissa Prefecture. It had the same territory as the present municipality.[15] It was abolished in 2006.
| Year | Town | Municipal unit | Municipality |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 7,211 | - | - |
| 1991 | 8,457 | 9,464 | - |
| 2001 | 9,801 | 10,812 | - |
| 2011 | 9,337 | 9,982 | 18,545 |
| 2021 | 9,027 | 9,520 | 16,341 |
Administrative division of theThessaly Region | ||
|---|---|---|
| Regional unit ofKarditsa |  | |
| Regional unit ofLarissa | ||
| Regional unit ofMagnesia | ||
| Regional unit of theSporades | ||
| Regional unit ofTrikala | ||
| ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
