Thessaly << THEHS uh lee >> is a region in north-central Greece. It has an area of about 5,400 square miles (14,000 square kilometers) and a population of about 690,000. Volos and Larisa are the largest cities in Thessaly. Three mountains that border the region—Olympus, Pelion, and Ossa—are important in Greek history and legend (see Mount Olympus). Thessaly is an important agricultural region of Greece. Its most important crops include cotton, olives, sugar beets, tobacco, vegetables, and wheat.
In legend, Thessaly was the home of the Greek warrior Achilles, and of Jason, who led the Argonauts in search of the golden fleece. The ancient Thessalians never banded together and so were weak militarily. In 344 B.C., Philip of Macedon conquered Thessaly. Later, the Romans took it and added it to Macedonia in 146 B.C. Venice and the Ottoman Empire controlled Thessaly for hundreds of years. In 1881, Greece acquired Thessaly from the Ottomans.
See also Greece (Thessaly).
