Trachis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Trachis was a landscape in ancient Greece. It was situated south of the river Spercheios. Trachis was populated by the Malians.

Its main town was also called Trachis until 426 B.C., when it became Heraclea Trachinia. It is located in the west of the Thermopylae. Trachis is located just west of the western-most tip of the island of Euboea, north of Delphi. Near this place archaeologists discovered tombs from the Mycenaean period.

According to Greek mythology Trachis was the home of Ceyx and Alcyone. Heracles went to Trachis after the death of Eunomus. The town is mentioned by Homer and for the last time in antiquity by Pausanias.

Trachis/Heraclea in modern times. The settlement formerly known as "trachis" was renamed "heraclea trachis/trachinia" by the spartans. In antiquity the settlement was famous for being at the base of the mountain where Hercules died ( mount Oeta) as well as being the place where the descendants of Hercules settled. During the Greco/Persian wars, the fertile plains of heraclea saw the landing and encampment of the Persian army as they marched to Thermopylae. During the Greek war of Independence the area has been famous for its resistance fighters or "klepts" (mountain fighters/ bandits), including those who opposed the Turkish " Harach " poll tax upon agricultural commodities. In world war 2 the area saw significant resistance to the Germans , including the destruction of a vital railroad bridge linking southern and northern Greece. Today the village of Heraclea is a thriving agricultural community. Recent excavations have also revealed a series of small tombs at the foothills of Oeta near the banks of the Asopus river.