Olophyxus or Olophyxos ( grc, Ὀλόφυξος) was a town on the peninsula of ''Acte'' or ''Akte'' (Ακτή) (now

Mount Athos Mount Athos (; el, Ἄθως, ) is a mountain in the distal part of the eponymous Athos peninsula and site of an important centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism in northeastern Greece. The mountain along with the respective part of the penins ...

), the easternmost of the three peninsulas forming the

ancient Chalcidice Chalkidiki (; el, Χαλκιδική , also spelled Halkidiki, is a peninsula and regional unit of Greece, part of the region of Central Macedonia, in the geographic region of Macedonia in Northern Greece. The autonomous Mount Athos region c ...

Thucydides Thucydides (; grc, , }; BC) was an Athenian historian and general. His ''History of the Peloponnesian War'' recounts the fifth-century BC war between Sparta and Athens until the year 411 BC. Thucydides has been dubbed the father of "scientifi ...

says that among the cities of the aforementioned peninsula, Sane was colony of Andros, while

Thyssus Thyssus or Thyssos ( grc, Θύσσος) was a town of Chalcidice in ancient Macedon, situated on the west or south side of the peninsula of ''Acte'' or ''Akte'' (Ακτή) peninsula (now Mount Athos), the easternmost of the three peninsulas forming ...

, Cleonae,

Acrothoum Acrothoum or Akrothoon ( grc, Ἀκρόθωον) or Acrothoi or Akrothooi (Ἀκρόθωοι) or Acroathon or Acrothon was a town of Chalcidice in ancient Macedon, situated near the extremity of the ''Acte'' or ''Akte'' (Ακτή) peninsula (now Mo ...

, Olophyxus and

Dium Dion ( el, Δίον; grc, Δῖον; la, Dium) is a village and municipal unit in the municipality of Dion-Olympos in the Pieria regional unit, Greece. It is located at the foot of Mount Olympus at a distance of 17 km from the capital c ...

had a heterogeneous population of bilingual barbarians formed by a few Chalcidians and, the rest,

Pelasgians The name Pelasgians ( grc, Πελασγοί, ''Pelasgoí'', singular: Πελασγός, ''Pelasgós'') was used by classical Greek writers to refer either to the predecessors of the Greeks, or to all the inhabitants of Greece before the emergenc ...

, Bisaltians, Crestonians and Edoni.

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...

points out that its primitive populated was composed of Pelasgians from Lemnos. Pseudo Scylax writes that it was a Greek city. It was a member of the

Delian League The Delian League, founded in 478 BC, was an association of Greek city-states, numbering between 150 and 330, under the leadership of Athens, whose purpose was to continue fighting the Persian Empire after the Greek victory in the Battle of Pl ...

as it appears on the tribute lists to

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

between the years 454/3 BCE and 429/8 BCE. Olophyxus took the side of the

Lacedaemonian Sparta (Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referred t ...

Brasidas Brasidas ( el, Βρασίδας, died 422 BC) was the most distinguished Spartan officer during the first decade of the Peloponnesian War who fought in battle of Amphipolis and Pylos. He died during the Second Battle of Amphipolis while winning o ...

during his expedition in the Chalcidice in 424-423 BCE. Bronze coins minted by Olophyxus from the mid-4th century BCE are preserved. The location of Olophyxus is tentatively identified with a site near the modern place called Akte.

References

Populated places in ancient Macedonia Ancient Athos Former populated places in Greece Members of the Delian League {{ancientMacedonia-geo-stub