
Methone ( grc, Μεθώνη) was a town and
polis
''Polis'' (, ; grc-gre, πόλις, ), plural ''poleis'' (, , ), literally means "city" in Greek. In Ancient Greece, it originally referred to an administrative and religious city center, as distinct from the rest of the city. Later, it also ...
(city-state)
on the
Pagasetic 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 ...
of
Magnesia in
ancient Thessaly. The town is mentioned by
Homer
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 ...
in the
Catalogue of Ships
The Catalogue of Ships ( grc, νεῶν κατάλογος, ''neōn katálogos'') is an epic catalogue in Book 2 of Homer's ''Iliad'' (2.494–759), which lists the contingents of the Achaean army that sailed to Troy. The catalogue gives the na ...
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 ''Odysse ...
'' as belonging to
Philoctetes
Philoctetes ( grc, Φιλοκτήτης ''Philoktētēs''; English pronunciation: , stress (linguistics), stressed on the third syllable, ''-tet-''), or Philocthetes, according to Greek mythology, was the son of Poeas, king of Meliboea (Magnes ...
. It is also mentioned in the
Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax as a city in Magnesia, together with
Iolcus,
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 ...
,
Spalauthra
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 i ...
and
Olizon.
Some accept that the town's location is on a hill called Nevestiki (), near the current village of
Ano Lechonia
Ano Lechonia ( el, Άνω Λεχώνια) is a town in the Magnesia regional unit, Greece. Ano Lechonia was the seat of the former municipality of Artemida. The population of the village in 2011 was 1,068, the population of the community (inclu ...
, where remains of a fortification have been found, but that location has been suggested by others as the site of Coracae.
References
Ancient Magnesia
Populated places in ancient Thessaly
Locations in the Iliad
Cities in ancient Greece
Former populated places in Greece
Thessalian city-states
{{AncientThessaly-geo-stub