Pyrasus

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Pyrasus or Pyrasos (Ancient Greek: Πύρασος or Πύρρασος) was a town and polis (city-state) of Phthiotis in ancient Thessaly, mentioned by Homer along with Phylace and Iton as ruled by Protesilaus, in the Catalogue of Ships in the Iliad, and described by him as "Πύρρασον ἀνθεμόεντα, Δήμητρος τέμενος" (Pyrasus having a temple of Demeter) Pyrasus was situated on the Pagasaean Gulf, at the distance of 20 stadia from Phthiotic Thebes, and possessed a good harbour. It had disappeared in the time of Strabo (fl. early first century CE), the town having moved to a nearby site, called Demetrium or Demetrion (Δημήτριον), derived from the temple of Demeter, spoken of by Homer, and which Strabo describes as distant two stadia from Pyrasus.

At the beginning of the Peloponnesian War, it was one of the cities of Thessaly that supplied aid to the Athenians. At the end of the 4th century BCE, it was united (synoecism) with the neighboring cities of Phylace and Phthiotic Thebes to form a polis. The new conurbation took the name of Phthiotic Thebes, and became the main city of the Achaean Phthiotis League until it joined the Aetolian League at the end of the 3rd century BCE.

Professor John Grainger of the...