Pelion, also Pellion or Pelium was a fortified settlement of the Dassaretae located on the borderlands between southern Illyria and Macedonia in classical and Roman antiquity. The precise location of Pelion is uncertain and various theories been proposed for the site of the settlement in the Dassaretis region, in Epirus Nova and in Illyricum. It passed different phases of control: the Chaonian tribe of Dexaroi, a coalition of Illyrian tribes, the Macedonian kingdom and finally Rome since at least 198 BCE.
History
Pelium was among the settlements inhabited by the Chaonian tribe of Dassaretae. It came under the control of Illyrian kingBardylis, while during his time Pelium probably became a walled site. That time it was found in a region of conflict between Bardylis and the Macedonian kingdom under Philip II. After Bardylis' defeat it was used by Macedon as a fort near the Illyrian border. At 335 B.C. during the Balkan campaign of Alexander the Great, the later received news that three Illyrian tribes were preparing to attack western Macedonia. As soon as he arrived at the gates of Pelion the settlement was already occupied by DardanianchieftainCleitus son of Bardylis. At the following siege the Illyrian coalition; under Cleitus and Glaucias of Taulantii was defeated. During their withdrawal the Illyrians burnt Pelium to the ground According to Nicholas Hammond the burning by Cleitus came possibly due to the fact that the local Dassaratean inhabitants were not friendly towards the Dardanian raiders. In the early 2nd century BCE, the expanding Roman Republic gained control of the region during the Second Macedonian War. As soon as the Roman troops occupied the city, its population was removed from the city and Dassaretae control was restored followed by the installation of a strong Roman garrison. In the 6th century, a fort by the same name is listed among the refortified sites of the region during the reign of Byzantine EmperorJustinian. Stephanus of Byzantium places it in the prefecture of Illyricum at the time. It is unclear whether it refers to Pelium of the classical era or not.
Possible locations
In older research, one possible candidate for its location has been identified near Gorna Gorica, in Albania. Another candidate for Pelion is the present-day Selcë e Poshtme where the monumental royal tombs can also be found. Modern historians proposed various locations: N.G.L. Hammond proposed a site near Gorna Gorica. C.E. Bosworth placed Pelion in the region of Eordaea or Lyncus, while various Albanian archaeologist proposed Selcë e Poshtme. Tom Winnifrith suggests a site closer to the Tsangon pass at Zvezve, where an Illyrian walled site was found. Though still not definitely located, Winnifrith is certain that Pelium is near Ohrid and Prespa.
