{{About|the ancient city in Thessaly, Greece|the modern village in Greece|Pythio}} thumb|300px|Map showing ancient Thessaly. Pythion is shown to the centre top near Mount Olympus. '''Pythion''' ({{langx|el|Πύθιον}}) or '''Pythium''', also '''Pythoion''' (Πύθοιον) was a city and polis (city-state)<ref name=Poleis>{{cite book|author= Mogens Herman Hansen & Thomas Heine Nielsen |title= An inventory of archaic and classical poleis|year= 2004|publisher= Oxford University Press|location=New York|isbn= 0-19-814099-1|chapter= Thessaly and Adjacent Regions|pages= 726–727}}</ref> of Perrhaebia in ancient Thessaly, situated at the foot of Mount Olympus, and forming a Tripolis with the two neighbouring towns of Azorus and Doliche. Pythion derived its name from a temple of Apollo Pythius situated on one of the summits of Olympus, as we learn from an epigram of Xeinagoras, a Greek mathematician, who measured the height of Olympus from these parts.<ref>''ap.'' Plut. ''Aemil. Paul.'' 15.</ref> Games were also celebrated here in honour of Apollo.<ref>{{Cite Stephanus|''s.v.'' Πύθιον}}</ref>
==Geography== Pythion commanded an important pass across Mount Olympus. This pass and that of Tempe are the only two leading from Macedonia into the northeast of Thessaly.<ref>{{Cite Livy|42.53}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Ptolemy|3.13.42}}</ref>
==History== During the reign of Amyntas III or Philip II, the Tripolis was annexed to Macedon. According to Theagenes the inhabitants of Balla were relocated to Pythion. So we find in 3rd century BC an epigram regarding Philarchos son of Hellanion, Macedonian Elimiote from Pythion, proxenos in Delphi.<ref>[http://epigraphy.packhum.org/inscriptions/oi?ikey=240649&bookid=452®ion=3&subregion=7 FD III 4:417]</ref><ref>City and sanctuary in ancient Greece: the Theorodokia in the Peloponnese By Paula Jean Perlman Page 127 {{ISBN|3-525-25218-8}}</ref>
During the Roman–Seleucid War, the Tripolis was ravaged by an army of Aetolians in the year 191 BCE<ref>{{Cite Livy|36.10}}</ref> During the Third Macedonian War the three towns surrendered to the army of Perseus of Macedon in the year 171 BCE,<ref>{{Cite Livy|42.53}}</ref> but that same year the Romans reconquered the three.<ref>{{Cite Livy|42.67}}</ref> In the year 169 BCE troops arrived from the Roman consul Quintus Marcius Philippus who camped between Azorus and Doliche.<ref>{{Cite Polybius|28.13.1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Livy|44.2}}</ref>
The three cities minted a common coin with the inscription "ΤΡΙΠΟΛΙΤΑΝ".<ref>{{cite book|author= Mogens Herman Hansen & Thomas Heine Nielsen |title= An inventory of archaic and classical poleis|year= 2004|publisher= Oxford University Press|location=New York|isbn= 0-19-814099-1|chapter= Thessaly and Adjacent Regions|pages= 721–722}}</ref>
Although the site is occupied by a modern town of Pythio, virtually no remains of the ancient town have been discovered there.<ref>{{Cite DGRG|title=Pythium}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}} *{{SmithDGRG|title=Pythium}}
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{{Coord|40.05773|N|22.21913|E|format=dms|display=title|source:http://dare.ht.lu.se/places/34669.html}}
Category:Cities in ancient Greece Category:Populated places in ancient Thessaly Category:Former populated places in Greece Category:Apollo Category:Mount Olympus Category:Macedonian colonies in Thessaly Category:Perrhaebia Category:Thessalian city-states Category:Elassona
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