Notes on the Disarray in Thessaly

Abstract

This article focuses on several problems concerning the advancement of the Persian army through Thessaly in 480 BC.: the ill-advised departure from Tempe and the role played by Alexander of Macedon; the parallel tradition recorded in Damastes of Sygeum and Diodorus; the political fracas between the Aleuadai and the rest of Thessaly; and finally, the nature of the alleged message that Alexander gave the Thessalians. A careful analysis of the events, as well as of the way they are presented in our extant sources, testify that Alexander did indeed play a role in the events in Thessaly, and that the Tempe episode ought to retain its place in the traditional narrative; however, the content of his message to the Hellenes remains elusive, undoubtedly until the discovery of another source, different from those we have had up to now.