**Pherae** ([[Ancient Greek|Greek]]: Φεραί) was a city and [[Polis|polis]] (city-state)[^1] in southeastern [[Ancient Thessaly]].[^2] One of the oldest Thessalian cities, it was located in the southeast corner of [[Pelasgiotis]].[^3] According to [[Strabo]], it was near [[Boebeis Lacus|Lake Boebeïs]] 90 [[Stadion (unit)|stadia]] from [[Pagasae]], its harbor on the Gulf of Pagasae (Geography 9.5). The site is in the modern community of [[Velestino]].[^4][^5]

In [[Homer]] Pherae was the home of King [[Admetus]] and his wife, [[Alcestis]], (whom [[Heracles]] went into [[Hades]] to rescue), as well as their son [[Eumelus (son of Admetus)|Eumelus]] (who was one of the [[Suitors of Helen|suitors of Helen]] and led the Achaean forces of Pherae and [[Iolcus]] in the [[Trojan War]]) (Iliad 2.711; Odyssey 4.798).

[[Thucydides]] lists Pherae among the early Thessalian supporters of [[Athens]] at the beginning of the [[Peloponnesian War]] ([[History of the Peloponnesian War]] 2.22). Toward the end of the war Lycophron established a tyranny at Pherae. On his death his son [[Jason of Pherae|Jason]] became dictator and by around 374 BC extended his rule throughout Thessaly. After Jason's assassination and that of his successor, Polydorus, [[Alexander of Pherae|Alexander]] ruled Pherae with great harshness until he was killed by his wife, Thebe, in 359 BC, and Thessaly was conquered by the [[Thebes, Greece|Thebans]]. [[Philip II of Macedon|Philip of Macedon]] conquered Pherae in 352 BC and subjected Thessaly to [[Macedonia (ancient kingdom)|Macedonian]] rule.

In Roman times Pherae was conquered by [[Antiochus III the Great|Antiochus the Great of Syria]] in 191 BC, but lost it that same year to the Roman consul of the year [[Manius Acilius Glabrio (consul 191 BC)|Manius Acilius Glabrio]] (Livy 36.1-14). The famous Messeis spring (the spring of Kefalovryso at [[Velestino]]) was probably at Pherae (Strabo, Geography 9.5; Iliad 6.457).

## References

[39°23′03″N 22°44′16″E / 39.384163°N 22.737728°E / 39.384163; 22.737728](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Pherae&params=39.384163_N_22.737728_E_source:http://dare.ht.lu.se/places/22809.html)

## Notes

[^1]: Mogens Herman Hansen & Thomas Heine Nielsen (2004). "Thessaly and Adjacent Regions". [*An inventory of archaic and classical poleis*](https://archive.org/details/inventoryarchaic00hans). New York: [[Oxford University Press]]. pp. [704](https://archive.org/details/inventoryarchaic00hans/page/n720)\-706. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] 0-19-814099-1.
[^2]: Autenrieth, Georg (1891). ["Φεραί"](https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0073%3Aentry%3D*ferai%2F). *A Homeric Dictionary for Schools and Colleges*. New York: Harper and Brothers.
[^3]: Smith, William (1854). ["Pherae (Φέραι) (1)"](https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0064:entry=pherae-geo). *Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography*. London: Walton and Maber.
[^4]: [[Lund University]]. [*Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire*](https://imperium.ahlfeldt.se/places/22809.html).
[^5]: [[Richard Talbert|Talbert, Richard]], ed. (2000). [[Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World|*Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World*]]. Princeton University Press. p. 55. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]] 978-0-691-03169-9, with accompanying Map-by-Map Directory.