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Athens News Agency: News in English, 10-02-05
CONTENTS
[01] Xerxes path in Tempi valley
[01] Xerxes path in Tempi valley
The Tempi valley in Central Greece, nestled between the Mt Olympos and
Mt Kissavos, was known to travelers in antiquity who wanted to reach
Athens from the north via a shortcut through the Tempi pass in order to
avoid the mountain ranges. Because of its strategic position Tempi has
been the site of several battles. In 480 BC when the King of Persia,
Xerxes with 10,000 warriors launched the third campaign to conquer
Greece he puzzled on how to pass through the Olympus and Kissavos
mountains more quickly and easily in order to take the Greek army by
surprise . Xerxes ordered his warriors to create a path in the Tempi
valley. This very path was later upgraded by the Romans and the
Byzantines. Visitors to Tempi valley may take the latter path and
follow the tracks of the ancient troops, as the path is preserved and
stays in place as a reminder of the history of a great era.
The Vale of Tempi was a sacred place and the ancient Greeks worshipped
Apollo there. Laurels used for the wreaths of the winners of the
Pythian Games were collected from the laurel trees that grew in the
Valley.
Excavations have unearthed ruins of a temple of Apollo and several
pieces of armory used in ancient battles
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