Greek city of
Krannon
in
Thessaly
Bronze 15mm (4.87 grams) Struck circa 400-344 B.C.
Reference: Sear 2073 var.; HGC 4, 385
Horseman galloping right.
Hydria, mounted on wheels.
The city was near the source of the river Onchestos. People
of Krannon held Poseidon in high regard. The city derived it’s name from the
various springs in the area (called kranna in Aiolic Greek). The city had an abundance of sheep
and horses grazing in the plains which brought it great wealth. In times of
drought, they had a hydria on wheels which they paraded through the city
accompanied by prayers to Apollo, which it was famous for. There was also a
temple of Athena and Asclepius in the city.
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A hydria (plural hydriai) is a type of
Greek pottery
used for carrying water. The
hydria has three handles. Two horizontal handles on either side of the body of
the pot were used for lifting and carrying the pot. The third handle, a vertical
one, located in the center of the other two handles, was used when pouring
water. This water vessel can be found in both
red-
and
black-figure
technique. They often depicted
scenes of
Greek mythology
that reflected moral and social
obligations.
By the mid-5th century BC, Greek artisans were also creating hydria from
bronze
, some of which were elaborately
decorated with finely detailed figures. A 6th-century example is in the
Historisches Museum, Berne.
Krannonas (Modern
Greek: Κραννώνας; ancient city:
Κραννών, Crannon) is a village and a municipality in the
Larissa Prefecture
,
Greece
located
southwest of the regional capital. Its 2001 population was 104 for the village,
185 for the municipal district and 3,274 for the municipality (1.17% of the
prefectural population). The seat of the municipality is
Agioi Anargyroi
. It is connected with the road linking
Karditsa
and Larissa. It is also located north of
Farsala
and
NNE of Palamas
and Karditsa.
Geographically the municipal boundaries extend as far south as the
Fyllio Mountains
(where
Enipeas
as bordered as its highest point is 533 m, as far north as
Koilada
and
Larissa
and
along with the Larissa metropolitan area and as far east as Nikaia and as west
with the
Karditsa prefecture
. One of the panoramic views includes its nearby
mountains to the west,
Mount Olympus
to the north,
Ossa
to the northeast and
Chalkodonio
to the south.
Krannonas was a site of
the decisive battle
of the
Lamian War
between
Macedon
and
Athens
with allies.
Thessaly was home to an extensive
Neolithic
culture around
2500 BC
.
Mycenaean
settlements have also been discovered, for example at the sites of
Iolcos
,
Dimini
and
Sesklo
(near
Volos
). Later, in
ancient Greek
times, the lowlands of Thessaly became the home of baronial
families, such as the
Aleuadae
of
Larissa
or
the Scopads of Crannon. These baronial families organized a federation across
the Thessaly region, later went on to control the
Amphictyonic League
in northern Greece. The
Thessalians
were renowned for their cavalry.
In the summer of 480 BC
, the Persians invaded Thessaly. The Greek army that guarded the
Vale
of Tempe
, evacuated the road before the enemy arrived. Not much later,
Thessaly surrendered. The Thessalian family of
Aleuadae
joined the Persians. In the
Peloponnesian War
the Thessalians tended to side with Athens and usually
prevented Spartan troops from crossing through their territory with the
exception of the army of Brasidas.
Jason of Pherae
briefly transformed the country into a significant military
power, though he was assassinated before any lasting achievements were made. In
the 4th century BC
Thessaly became dependent on
Macedon
and many served as vassals. In
148 BC
the
Romans formally incorporated Thessaly into the province of
Macedonia
, though in 300 AD Thessaly was made a separate province with its
capital at Larissa
.
It was part of the Byzantine Empire and suffered many invasions. In 977 it
was occupied by the Bulgarians, who remained there until 1014. In 1204 he was
assigned to
Boniface of Montferrat
and in 1225 to
Theodore Komnenos Doukas
, despot of
Epirus
. From
1271 to 1318 he was an independent despotate that extended to
Acarnania
and Aetolia
,
run by John III Angelos Komneno. In 1309 settled there the
Almogavars
or
Catalan Company
of the East (Societas Catalanorum Magna), which in 1310,
after lifting the siege of Thessalonica, withdrew as mercenaries in the pay of
the sebastocrátor
John II, and took over the country organized in a democracy.
From there went to the
Duchy of Athens
called by the duke Walter I. In 1318, with the extinction of
the dynasty of Angelos, the Almogavars occupied Siderocastron and southern
Thessaly (1319) and formed the
duchy of Neopatria
.
Later it was occupied by the
Serbs
until 1393,
after being dominated by the
Ottomans
. In 1821 participated in the
Greek War of Independence
, but was not recognized as part of
Greece
until
1881.
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