_01.jpg) The acropolis of Larisa on the Hermos in 1991 | |
  Larissa Phrikonis Shown within Turkey | |
| Location | Turkey |
|---|---|
| History | |
| Founded | EBA (3rd millennium BC) |
Larissa (Ancient Greek:Λάρισσα) orLarisa (Λάρισα)Phrikonis,[1] also known asLarisa on the Hermos,[2][3] was a city in the region ofAeolis in westernAsia Minor (modernTurkey).
It has been identified with an archaeological site excavated in the early 20th century on a hilltop next to the village of Buruncuk, in the vicinity ofMenemen, ca. 30 km north ofİzmir, although the identification has sometimes been challenged.[4][5] The hill overlooks theGediz River, known in antiquity as the Hermos, which here passes through a fertileplain formed by alluvial soil carried from the Anatolian inland.
The first nucleus of Larissa formed during the third millennium BC.
The city survived all through thePersian andHellenistic periods, though it was largely destroyed during thePeloponnesian War in 405 BC. Larissa was rebuilt after the war but was annihilated by theGalatians (Celts) in 279 BC.[3] It is known as one of the twelveAeolian cities.Strabo considered that this Larissa was the one mentioned inHomer'sIliad.[6][7]Xenophon writes thatCyrus the Great established a colony ofEgyptian soldiers there.[8] Xenophon also relates that it was besieged in vain byThimbrom.[8] In Strabo's time it was deserted,[7] although it is mentioned by other ancient geographers such asPliny the Elder,[9]Ptolemy,[10] andStephanus of Byzantium.[11]
The first excavations in Larissa were initiated in 1902 by Swedish and German archeologists.[2][3] The finds were taken toStockholm and toIstanbul archeological museums.
38°40′03″N27°01′53″E / 38.667585°N 27.031388°E /38.667585; 27.031388
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Larissa".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
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