Peirasia ( grc, Πειρασία) or Peiresia, was an ancient Greek ''

polis ''Polis'' (, ; grc-gre, πόλις, ), plural ''poleis'' (, , ), literally means "city" in Greek. In Ancient Greece, it originally referred to an administrative and religious city center, as distinct from the rest of the city. Later, it also ...

'' (

city-state A city-state is an independent sovereign city which serves as the center of political, economic, and cultural life over its contiguous territory. They have existed in many parts of the world since the dawn of history, including cities such as ...

), located in the tetrad of

Thessaliotis Thessaliotis ( grc, Θεσσαλιῶτις) was one of the four districts into which ancient Thessaly was divided. The others were Pelasgiotis, Histiaeotis, and Phthiotis. Thessaliotis corresponded to the central plain of Thessaly and the upper co ...

in western

Thessaly Thessaly ( el, Θεσσαλία, translit=Thessalía, ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thes ...

, close to the confluences of Apidanus and Enipeus. In mythological sources, it is often connected with Asterium, the home of

Asterion In Greek mythology, Asterion (Greek: , gen.: , literally "starry") or Asterius () may refer to the following figures: * Asterion, one of the Potamoi. * Asterius, one of the Giants. * Asterion, an attendant of the starry-god Astraeus. * Aster ...

, one of the

Argonauts The Argonauts (; Ancient Greek: ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, '' Argo'', ...

. The site of Peirasia has recently been securely identified with the archaeological remains at Ermitsi in the region of

Karditsa Karditsa ( el, Καρδίτσα ) is a city in western Thessaly in mainland Greece. The city of Karditsa is the capital of Karditsa regional unit of region of Thessaly. Inhabitation is attested from 9000 BC. Karditsa ls linked with GR-30, the ...

. Until the find at Ermitsi of stamped roof-tiles bearing the inscription ''(P)eirasi(eōn)'' ("of the Peirasieans"), the site of Peirasia was generally assumed to be at

Vlochos Vlochos ( el, Βλοχός) is a village in modern Thessaly, Greece. It belongs to the municipality of Palamas in the regional unit of Karditsa. History Just south of the village lies the steep hill of Strongilovouni ( el, Στρογγυλοβού� ...

or Sykeona. The site at Ermitsi is that of a large multi-period tell or ''magoula'', upon the present village is located. Excavations on and around the tell by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Karditsa have yielded finds of the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

until the

Hellenistic period In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in 3 ...

. The layout of the ancient settlement is unknown as it is nearly completely covered by modern buildings and houses. Peirasia struck coins in the 4th century BC, depicting Athena Itonia on the obverse, and a horseman on the reverse, with the legend ''Peirasieōn''.

References

Former populated places in Greece Populated places in ancient Thessaly Thessaliotis Thessalian city-states Cities in ancient Greece {{AncientThessaly-geo-stub