Eordaia ( el, Εορδαία) is a municipality in the
Kozani
Kozani ( el, Κοζάνη, ) is a city in northern Greece, capital of Kozani regional unit and of Western Macedonia. It is located in the western part of Macedonia, in the northern part of the Aliakmonas river valley. The city lies above sea ...
regional unit,
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 ...
. The seat of the municipality is the town
Ptolemaida
Ptolemaida ( el, Πτολεμαΐδα, Ptolemaïda, Katharevousa: Πτολεμαΐς, ''Ptolemaïs'') is a town and a former municipality in Kozani regional unit, Western Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of th ...
.
The municipality has an area of 708.807 km
2.
The population was 45,592 in 2011.
Municipality
The municipality Eordaia was formed at the 2011 local government reform by the merger of the following 5 former municipalities, that became municipal units:
[
* Agia Paraskevi
*]Mouriki
Mouriki ( el, Μουρίκι) is a former municipality in Kozani regional unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Eordaia
Eordaia ( el, Εορδαία) is a municipality in the Kozani r ...
*Ptolemaida
Ptolemaida ( el, Πτολεμαΐδα, Ptolemaïda, Katharevousa: Πτολεμαΐς, ''Ptolemaïs'') is a town and a former municipality in Kozani regional unit, Western Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of th ...
* Vermio
* Vlasti
Province
The province of Eordaia ( el, Επαρχία Εορδαίας) was one of the provinces
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of the Kozani Prefecture. Its territory corresponded with that of the current municipality Eordaia, and a few villages of the municipality Kozani
Kozani ( el, Κοζάνη, ) is a city in northern Greece, capital of Kozani regional unit and of Western Macedonia. It is located in the western part of Macedonia, in the northern part of the Aliakmonas river valley. The city lies above sea ...
.[ ] It was abolished in 2006.
History
The history of Eordaia can be found stretching long before 2000 BCE when the first Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...
known as the Mycenean Greeks began to inhabit this area. Remnants of copper mines exploited from 2700 up until 1200 BCE indicate strongly that the Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...
inhabited Eordaia for many years. Iron mines have also been exploited in the region.[D. C. Samsaris, Les mines et la metallurgie de fer et de cuivre dans la province romaine de Macédoine, Klio 69(1987), 1, p. 154, 156–157, 169–170]
Recent discoveries
Within a 50-year period, paleontologists and archaeologists have made many discoveries due to the industrial development of the Eordaian countryside. In particular, the skeletal fossils of a prehistoric mammoth, a prehistoric elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...
, and Stone Age tools have all been found within the province of Eordaia. These finds add to knowledge on the variety of animal species and human artifacts in this particular region of western Macedonia. In addition, two ancient Macedonian tombs have been excavated within Eordaia. The first was located in a rural area of the village of Spilia, while the second was located in the village of Pyrgoi.
External links
Ειδήσεις για την ΕΟΡΔΑΙΑ (www.eordaia.com)
References
Municipalities of Western Macedonia
Provinces of Greece
Populated places in Kozani (regional unit)
{{WMacedonia-geo-stub