Re: The Probable site of Kynoskephalae battlefield 197 BC
Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 11:36 am
These are a couple of the nineteenth century accounts
https://archive.org/stream/classicaltop ... 8/mode/2up
Edward Dodwell’s, ‘A Classical and Topographical Tour through Greece during the years 1801, 1805 and 1806’ published 1819 p118f
Henry Holland, ‘Travels in the Ionian Isles, Albania, Thessaly, Macedonia,etc.’ 1812 p365
https://archive.org/stream/classicaltop ... 8/mode/2up
Edward Dodwell’s, ‘A Classical and Topographical Tour through Greece during the years 1801, 1805 and 1806’ published 1819 p118f
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Ul0G ... &q&f=falseWe accordingly quitted Ampelakia on the 6th, and went to the left of our former road, keeping the village of Baba on our right. Having passed over the barren foot of Ossa, we crossed several small streams which issue from it, and observed some verdant spots, where the refreshing waters of the fountain sparkled beneath the cooling shade of the platanus. Larissa appeared upon our right. During the hottest part of the day we reposed at the village of Nikali, from which we took a view of the Thessalian plain and capital, and inspected the costumes of the peasantry,wit there implements of husbandry. This place is five hours and a quarter from Ampelekia. In the afternoon we proceeded two hours and thirty-eight minutes further to the Turkish village of Enebelere, where we passed the night.
The next morning, the 7th, we continued our journey, crossed a bridge over a small stream and went by the foot of an insulated hill with a small marsh, and a few mulberry trees near its base. These were the first trees we had seen for several miles; the greater part of the plain on this side of Larissa offers no objects either picturesque or interesting. It is generally rich in corn. The uncultivated parts are covered with thistles.
We passed by a fountain and observed on our right a village named Sarliki. An hour and forty minutes beyond which we passed near a large Turkish burying-ground, and a village called Karademelki. About an hour from this place we had the first view of Pharsalia and its memorable plain, which is in a manner separated from the great plain of Larissa by some low ridges and undulating hills. We passed by some villages and fountains, and crossed a large bridge of several arches over a river which is probably the Onchestos. Forty minutes further we crossed a bridge over another river of smaller size, probably the Enipeus or Apidanos, which unite their streams before they enter the Peneios.
Henry Holland, ‘Travels in the Ionian Isles, Albania, Thessaly, Macedonia,etc.’ 1812 p365
This can only happen from the direct route Pharsalos-Larissa. It would seem that Agesilaos also marched his army this way in 395, so it has an ancient pedigree. Morgan's objection that one could not march an army of 70,000 by this way, which he calls country tracks, when it is a flat plain is given the lie in that in 1897 the Turks marched just such an army explicitly by this route upon Farsala in the Thirty Day's War.At an early hour on the morning of the 20th, we recommenced our journey; and, crossed the stream of the ancient Apidanos, traversed the plains towards larissa, at which place we arrived six hours after quitting Tzatalze [Pharsalos]. Nothing worthy of notice occurred on the route, except a splendid view of Olympus, seen from one point rising immediately over the mosques and minarets of Larissa , and so deeply covered with snow that no part of is surface was left exposed above the mountains that rise at its feet.