Anciently, Magnesia ( grc, Μαγνησία) was a

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

Ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cu ...

, eventually absorbed by

ancient Thessaly Thessaly or Thessalia (Attic Greek: , ''Thessalía'' or , ''Thettalía'') was one of the traditional regions of Ancient Greece. During the Mycenaean period, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, a name that continued to be used for one of the major tribes ...

. Originally inhabited by the

Magnetes The Magnetes (Greek: ) were an ancient Greek tribe. In book 2 of the ''Iliad,'' Homer includes them in the Greek Army that is besieging Troy, and identifies their homeland in Thessaly, in a part that is still known as Magnesia. They later also con ...

(Μάγνητες), Magnesia was the long and narrow slip of country between Mounts Ossa and

Pelion Pelion or Pelium (Modern el, Πήλιο, ''Pílio''; Ancient Greek/ Katharevousa: Πήλιον, ''Pēlion'') is a mountain at the southeastern part of Thessaly in northern Greece, forming a hook-like peninsula between the Pagasetic Gulf and the ...

on the west and the sea on the east, and extending from the mouth of the

Peneius In Greek mythology, Peneus (; Ancient Greek: Πηνειός) was a Thessalian river god, one of the three thousand Rivers (Potamoi), a child of Oceanus and Tethys. Family The nymph Creusa bore him one son, Hypseus, who was King of the Lapit ...

on the north to the

Pagasaean Gulf The Pagasetic Gulf ( el, Παγασητικός κόλπος, Pagasitikós kólpos) is a rounded gulf (max. depth 102 metres) in the Magnesia regional unit (east central Greece) that is formed by the Mount Pelion peninsula. It is connected with ...

on the south. The Magnetes were members of the

Amphictyonic League In Archaic Greece, an amphictyony ( grc-gre, ἀμφικτυονία, a "league of neighbors"), or amphictyonic league, was an ancient religious association of tribes formed before the rise of the Greek '' poleis''. The six Dorian cities of coast ...

, and were settled in this district in the

Homeric Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

times, and mentioned in the ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the ''Ody ...

''. The Thessalian Magnetes are said to have founded the Asiatic cities of Magnesia ad Sipylum and

Magnesia on the Maeander Magnesia or Magnesia on the Maeander ( grc, Μαγνησία ἡ πρὸς Μαιάνδρῳ or ; la, Magnesia ad Maeandrum) was an ancient Greek city in Ionia, considerable in size, at an important location commercially and strategically in th ...

.Aristot. ''ap. Athen.'' 4.173; Conon 29; The towns of Magnesia were: Aesonis,

Aphetae Aphetae or Aphetai ( grc, Ἀφεταί or Ἀφέται) was a port of Magnesia in Ancient Thessaly, said to have derived its name from the departure of the Argonauts from it. The Persian fleet occupied the bay of Aphetae, previous to the Battle ...

, Boebe,

Casthanaea Casthanaea or Casthanea or Kasthanaia or Kasthaneia ( gr, Κασθαναία) or Castanea or Kastanaia (Κασταναία) was a town and polis (city-state) of Ancient Magnesia, at the foot of Mount Pelium, with a temple of Aphrodite Casthanit ...

, Cercinium,

Coracae Coracae or Korakai ( grc, Κορακαί) was a town and polis (city-state) on the Pagasetic Gulf in Magnesia in ancient Thessaly. It is mentioned in the Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax as between Methone and Spalauthra. Earlier writers tried to equate ...

Demetrias Demetrias ( grc, Δημητριάς) was a Greek city in Magnesia in ancient Thessaly (east central Greece), situated at the head of the Pagasaean Gulf, near the modern city of Volos. History It was founded in 294 BCE by Demetrius Polior ...

Eurymenae Eurymenae or Eurymenai ( grc, Εὐρυμεναί or Εὐρυμέναι) or Erymnae or Erymnai (Ὲρυμναί) was a town and polis (city-state) in Magnesia, ancient Thessaly, situated upon the Aegean Sea coast at the foot of Mount Ossa, bet ...

, Glaphyrae, Homole or

Homolium Homolium or Homolion ( grc, Ὁμόλιον) or Homole (Ὁμόλη) was a town and polis (city-state) of Magnesia in ancient Thessaly, situated at the foot of Mount Homole, and near the edge of the vale of Tempe. Mt. Homole was the part of the ...

Iolcus Iolcus (; also rendered ''Iolkos'' ; grc, Ἰωλκός and Ἰαωλκός; grc-x-doric, Ἰαλκός; ell, Ιωλκός) is an ancient city, a modern village and a former municipality in Magnesia, Thessaly, Greece. Since the 2011 local gove ...

, Magnesia, Meliboea, Methone, Mylae, Nelia, Olizon,

Pagasae Pagasae or Pagases ( el, Παγασαί, Pagasaí), also Pagasa, was a town and polis (city-state) of Magnesia in ancient Thessaly, currently a suburb of Volos. It is situated at the northern extremity of the bay named after it (Παγασητι� ...

Rhizus :''Rhizus may also refer to Ριζαίον on the Black Sea, modern Rize.'' Rhizus or Rhizous ( el, Ριζούς (ο)) was a town and polis of ancient Magnesia, Magnesia in ancient Thessaly, whose inhabitants were transported by Demetrios Poliork ...

Spalaethra Spalathra ( grc, Σπάλαθρα) or Spalauthra (Σπάλαυθρα), also called Spalethre (Σπαλέθρη) and Spalathron (Σπάλαθρον), was a town and polis (city-state) of Magnesia, in ancient Thessaly, upon the Pagasetic Gulf. It ...

, and Thaumacia.

References

* Geography of ancient Thessaly Historical regions in Greece {{AncientThessaly-geo-stub