Pteleos Πτελεός | |
|---|---|
 Location within the regional unit | |
  Pteleos | |
| Coordinates:39°03′N22°57′E / 39.050°N 22.950°E /39.050; 22.950 | |
| Country | Greece |
| Administrative region | Thessaly |
| Regional unit | Magnesia |
| Municipality | Almyros |
| Area | |
| • Municipal unit | 118 km2 (46 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
| • Municipal unit | 1,990 |
| • Municipal unit density | 16.9/km2 (43.7/sq mi) |
| • Community | 1,195 |
| Time zone | UTC+2 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+3 (EEST) |
| Vehicle registration | ΒΟ |
Pteleos (Greek:Πτελεός) is a village and a formermunicipality in the southern part ofMagnesia,Thessaly,Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part of the municipality ofAlmyros, of which it is a municipal unit.[2] The municipal unit has an area of 118.230 km2,[3] and a population of 1,990 in 2021.[1]
The area has been populated already since the prehistoric times, although not to be identified as the place Pteleum inancient Elis that belonged toNestor in theCatalogue of Ships in theIliad.[4] Several tombs from theMycenean period survive between Pteleos (Pteleum) and Agioi Theodoroi.
The current settlement lies to the north and land-inward of the ancient and medieval settlements in the area. An ancient settlement, which survived until earlyByzantine times, was located on the southern coast of the Bay of Pteleos near the modern village ofAchilleion, where a mosaic floor and remains of two early Christianbasilicas have been found.[5] The medieval settlement was located on the northern part of the Bay, near the modern village ofPigadi, and is attested for the first time in 1192, when "wine from Pteleos" (οἶνος Πτελεατικός) is mentioned as being traded inConstantinople.[5]
After theFourth Crusade (1204), the area passed under the control of theFrankishKingdom of Thessalonica, but in 1218 it was recovered by theDespotate of Epirus. Epirote rule continued until it was occupied by theEmpire of Nicaea (and after 1261 by the restored Byzantine Empire) following theBattle of Pelagonia, but it probably was more often under the control or influence of the autonomous Greek rulers ofNeopatras.[5] When theCatalans occupied Neopatras in 1319, in 1322 thecastrum Phtelei was taken over by theRepublic of Venice, with the agreement of the Byzantines and the inhabitants. The Republic installed arector (governor) and acastellan, and administered the fortress as part of its colony ofNegroponte. In 1350 it was plundered by the Catalans and theirAlbanian allies, but remained in Venetian hands as an isolated outpost on the mainland until 1470, when it was surrendered to theOttoman Empire following theloss of Negroponte. Its inhabitants were deported torepopulate Constantinople.[5] Parts of the ruined medieval fortress survive to this day, southwest of Pigadi: a squaredonjon, acistern, foundations of houses and a town wall, and the so-calledAlatopyrgos ("salt tower"), a watchtower on the coast.[5]