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Halos |
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The city of Halos is mentioned by Herodotus of Halicarnassus as naval base for one of the Greek expeditions against the Persian invaders in the summer of 480 BCE. Herodotus also informs us about a remarkable religious custom that included the threat of human sacrifice. The town was sacked in 346 by Parmenion, one of the generals of the Macedonian king Philip II. For more than forty years, the territory belonged to Pharsalus. |
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In 302, the people of Halos were permitted to return (text), and they rebuilt their town in a military camp of Demetrius I Poliorcetes, who had occupied this place to prevent his enemy Cassander from moving to Greece. Archaeologists have established that the town had the typical square outline of a hellenistic military settlement. The new city was ill-fated: within a generation, it appears to have been destroyed by an earthquake. | |
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This photo shows the remains of the enceinte
built by Demetrius: it is the southwest corner, where the wall to the town's
citadel on the hilltop started.
Centuries later, the Byzantines built a fortress: the site had not lost its strategic importance. A satellite photo shows how close the mountain comes to the coast. |
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(Louvre, Paris) |
Literature
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Latest revision: 29 July 2007 |
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