Larissa - Illustration from Views of Greece by Edward Dodwell

Larissa is an illustration from the collection Views in Greece from Drawings published by Edward Dodwell in 1821.

The city of Larissa, located on the fertile plain of Thessaly, is a vibrant center of culture and history. Its bustling streets and historic monuments reflect a rich tradition, where ancient heritage blends with the dynamics of modern life, creating a vivid picture of present-day Greece.

The literal transcription of the notice accompanying this plate is reproduced below:

The view here dominated was taken from the village of Nikili, which is an hour's or three miles from Larissa, the ancient and modern capital of Thessaly. Its minarets and cypress trees are visible in the distance. It is situated in the rich plain, which still shines today with that extraordinary fertility for which it was once so famous. Small villages scattered here and there have replaced the numerous population of its ancient cities.

Larissa is a considerable archiepiscopal seat: but the Greeks form only a small part of the 160,000 inhabitants given to the city. The greater part of this number are Mohammedans, who possess twenty-six mosques there, some of which are of a large size, and are enriched with a profusion of ancient marbles, found in the mines of the city. The river Peneus, whose bed is rather wide, carries its tranquil waters through Larissa; and, after having fertilized the adjacent territory, it enters the middle of the valley of Tempe, between Olympus and Ossa, where it enters the sea, after having wound its way through the plain of Pieria. The mountains seen in the distance are ramifications of Olympus, and separate the plain of Thessaly from the territory of Macedonia.

The objects seen on the front of the plate belong to the village of Nikili, whose main house is the tower, or pyrgos, in which the aga is depicted smoking. The top of the house is frequented by storks that have built their nests there. Ploughing implements have been drawn on this foreground. The solid wheels attached to the cart are the tympana of the ancients.

Near the well, we see a pile of bricks drying in the sun. The nearest figure is busy spinning.