Clitae or Klitai ( grc, Κλῖται) was a town of

ancient Macedonia Macedonia (; grc-gre, Μακεδονία), also called Macedon (), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, and later the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by ...

, the site of the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

breakthrough of the Macedonian line during the Roman conquest of Macedonia. Some have identified the town as the Chaetae (Χαῖται) – "Κλ" being mistaken for "Χα" – in

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...

. In the

Delphi Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The oracle ...

c Theorodochoi inscription (230 BC), published by

André Plassart André Plassart (24 August 1889 – 13 May 1978) was a 20th-century French hellenist, epigrapher and archaeologist. Selected bibliography * . * . * * . * . * . Studies on Plassart *. * . External links André Plassarton data.bnf.fr Pl ...

, there is a mention of a man who was named Phaneas Solonos ( grc, Φανέας Σόλωνος) from Clitae.Delphic Theorodochoi Inscription, 85
/ref> Clitae is mentioned by

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...

as a centre of

natron Natron is a naturally occurring mixture of sodium carbonate decahydrate ( Na2CO3·10H2O, a kind of soda ash) and around 17% sodium bicarbonate (also called baking soda, NaHCO3) along with small quantities of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate. N ...

production from the ancient lake Chalastra ( grc, Χαλάστρα), which is identified as the

salt lake A salt lake or saline lake is a landlocked body of water that has a concentration of salts (typically sodium chloride) and other dissolved minerals significantly higher than most lakes (often defined as at least three grams of salt per litre). ...

now known as Pikrolimni. The '' chalestraion nitron'' ( grc, χαλεστραῖον �ίτρον}) produced in Clitae and used in Graeco-Roman

glassmaking Glass production involves two main methods – the float glass process that produces sheet glass, and glassblowing that produces bottles and other containers. It has been done in a variety of ways during the history of glass. Glass container ...

is mentioned by

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

in the

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

(430a) and praised for its high quality by Pliny. Combined with the identification of lake Chalastra with Pikrolimni and glassware found in the vicinity, the ruins of Clitae are considered to lie in a site near the modern village Xylokeratia of

Kilkis prefecture Kilkis ( el, Περιφερειακή ενότητα Κιλκίς) is one of the regional units of Greece, in the Geographic regions of Greece, geographic region of Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia. It is part of the Modern regions of Greece, region o ...

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

References

Populated places in ancient Macedonia Former populated places in Greece {{ancientMacedonia-geo-stub