Oloosson

39°53′55″N 22°11′15″E

Map showing ancient Thessaly. Oloosson is shown to the upper centre.

Oloosson (Ancient Greek: Ὀλοοσσών)^[1] was a town and polis (city-state)^[2] of Perrhaebia in ancient Thessaly near Elone and Gonnus,^[3] mentioned in the Catalogue of Ships in the Iliad by Homer, who gives to it the epithet of “white,” from its white argillaceous soil.^[4] In Procopius the name occurs in the corrupt form of Lossonus.^[5]

Several Greek inscriptions have been found concerning the city of Oloosson. In a votive inscription from the first half of the fourth century BCE that is dedicated to Apollo Pythius are also the names of some people together with various demonyms from Perrhaebia.^[6] In another inscription dated in the 1st century BCE, election procedures of magistrates are mentioned.^[7]

Ancient Oloosson was located at a site called Panayia in the modern town of Elassona.^[8][9]

References

1. Stephanus of Byzantium. Ethnica. Vol. s.v.
2. Mogens Herman Hansen & Thomas Heine Nielsen (2004). "Thessaly and Adjacent Regions". An inventory of archaic and classical poleis. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 725. ISBN 0-19-814099-1.
3. Strabo. Geographica. Vol. ix. p.440. Page numbers refer to those of Isaac Casaubon's edition.
4. Homer. Iliad. Vol. 2.739.
5. Procop. de Aedif. 4.14
6. Jorge Martínez de Tejada Garaizábal, Instituciones, sociedad, religión y léxico de Tesalia de la antigüedad desde la época de la independencia hasta el fin de la edad antigua (siglos VIII AC-V DC), tesis doctoral, p.794. Madrid: Universidad Complutense de Madrid (2012).
7. Jorge Martínez de Tejada Garaizábal, Instituciones, sociedad, religión y léxico de Tesalia de la antigüedad desde la época de la independencia hasta el fin de la edad antigua (siglos VIII AC-V DC), tesis doctoral, p.226. Madrid: Universidad Complutense de Madrid (2012)., where the inscription is identified with the denomination IG (9) 2.1292.
8. Richard Talbert, ed. (2000). Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton University Press. p. 55, and directory notes accompanying. ISBN 978-0-691-03169-9.
9. Lund University. Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Oloosson". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.