Λάρισα | |
  Larisa Shown within Turkey | |
| Location | Babadere,Çanakkale Province,Turkey |
|---|---|
| Region | Troad |
| Coordinates | 39°36′55″N26°8′43″E / 39.61528°N 26.14528°E /39.61528; 26.14528 |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Periods | Early Bronze Age toHellenistic period |
Larissa (Ancient Greek:Λάρισσα,romanized: Larissa), was anancient Greek city in the south-west of theTroad region ofAnatolia. Its surrounding territory was known inGreek as theΛαρισσαῖα (Larissaia).[1] It has been located on a small rise by the coast now known as Limantepe, about 3.5 km from the village of Kösedere to the north-east and 3 km from the village of Babadere to the east, in theAyvacık district ofÇanakkale province,Turkey.[2] As with otherGreek toponyms containing the consonantal string -ss-, spellings that drop one 's' exist alongside those that retain both in the ancient literary sources. Larisa in the Troad should not be confused with 'Aeolian'Larissa, nearMenemen, or with 'Ionian' Larissa inİzmir province.[3]
Ceramic finds of Early Bronze Age III (c. 2700 - c. 2200 BC) andTroy VI material suggest that Limantepe had been occupied since the mid-3rd millennium BC by a pre-Greek population.[4]
TheAugustan geographerStrabo considered the toponym 'Laris(s)a' to bePelasgian, and it was understood bylexicographers inAntiquity to mean 'citadel'.[5] The specific attribution to the little understood Pelasgians should be treated with caution, as scholars now generally consider this a catch-all term used by Greeks to refer to the non-Greek peoples whom they knew had previously inhabited Asia Minor, but understood little about.[6] Nevertheless, modernphilologists do consider the consonantal string -ss- to be pre-Greek, and possiblyLuwian, in origin, and so it is quite possible that the name Larisa represents a pre-Greek survival.[7]
Larisa in Troad was likely the Larisa mentioned byHomer in his catalogue ofTroy's allies in theIliad.[8] Some early historians located it inThrace, butGeoffrey Kirk has shown that they were confused by a mistake ofStrabo, and that the site of Larisa in Troad fits well with the other mentions of the Pelasgians in theIliad.[9][10][11]
We hear nothing about Larisa in theArchaic Greek period from our literary sources, but ceramic finds at Limantepe indicateGreek occupation from the late 8th century BC.[12]
In 427 BC Larisa was one of the so-calledActaean cities thatAthens took fromMytilene following the end of theMytilenean revolt, and it appears in the Athenian tribute assessments in 425/424 BC and 422/421 BC.[13] In 425/424 BC it had an assessment of 3talents, a relatively high figure compared to other cities in theTroad. As a former member of the Mytilenaeanperaia, it is thought that the Greeks who originally settled Larisa were from Mytilene, as was the case with the other Actaean cities.[14] A corrupt passage ofStrabo used to be understood as instead supporting the idea that Larisa and its neighbour to the northKolonai belonged to the peraia of the island ofTenedos, but scholars now prefer to restoreLesbos in thelacuna.[15] Larisa was forcibly re-incorporated into thePersian Empire in 399 BC before being freed once more by theSpartanDercylidas in 398 BC.[16]
The relatively high Athenian tribute assessment for Larisa of 3talents suggests that during theClassical period it was a comparatively wealthy settlement. It lay in a large fertile plain between the Acheloos river to the north and the Satnioeis river to the south that would have provided good farmland.[17] In addition, it had access inClassical Antiquity to an excellent harbour.[18] Its border to the south withHamaxitus was marked by the Satnioeis river (modern Tuzla Çay), and for a period in the late 4th century BC it may have controlled the lucrativesalt pans atTragasai, which, though north of the Satnioeis, were in general controlled byHamaxitus.[19] Beyond the Acheloos lay the territory ofKolonai, which appears to have been in some sort of semi-dependent relationship with Larisa, further increasing the city's revenues.[20]
The history of Larisa in theHellenistic period is extremely obscure. It has generally been thought that Larisa lost its political independence in asynoecism withAntigoneia Troas c. 310 BC.[21] However, the eminent FrenchepigrapherLouis Robert consistently challenged this view, arguing that Larisa andHamaxitus remained independent until after theTreaty of Apamea. Moreover, he proposed on the basis of alegend on a coin found at Limantepe (the site of Larisa) that for a period in the 3rd century BC Larisa was refounded by thePtolemaic dynasty as Ptolemais.[22] This theory has by no means won universal favour, and at present there is too littlearchaeological ornumismatic evidence to decide the matter.[23] Whether or not Larisa was still apolis at the time, theDelphicthearodokoi stopped off there c. 230 - 220 BC, indicating that there was still a settlement of some description on the site at this point.[24] However, by the beginning of theRoman period Larisa appears to have been abandoned altogether.[25]
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