Oloosson Explained

39.8987°N 22.1875°WOloosson (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: Ὀλοοσσών) was a town and polis (city-state)^[1] of Perrhaebia in ancient Thessaly near Elone and Gonnus, mentioned in the Catalogue of Ships in the Iliad by Homer, who gives to it the epithet of “white,” from its white argillaceous soil. In Procopius the name occurs in the corrupt form of Lossonus.^[2]

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.^[3] In another inscription dated in the 1st century BCE, election procedures of magistrates are mentioned.^[4]

Ancient Oloosson was located at a site called Panayia in the modern town of Elassona.

Notes and References

1. Book: Mogens Herman Hansen & Thomas Heine Nielsen . An inventory of archaic and classical poleis. limited . 2004. Oxford University Press. New York. 0-19-814099-1. Thessaly and Adjacent Regions. 725.
2. Procop. de Aedif. 4.14
3. 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).
4. 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.