PSAPHARA in Paraxia

Paraxiae is a region in Macedonia, i.e. Valley of the Axius River or Povardarie. Ptolemaeus (90-168 AD) in his work "Geographiae" has listed a town with the name Psaphara, "surnamed" Antigona in Paraxiae. Obviously, Psaphara existed as an important Paeonian city but after the occupation of the country by Phillip II it must have been renamed to Philippoupolis and later to Antigona when Antogonos Gonatas becomes the king of Macedonia.

At least two other towns in Paeonia are known with the names Tranupara and Zapara, with "-phara" or "-para" meaning town or city. Herodotus (484-425 BC) in his work The Histories tells us that the Persian general Megabazus on order by the king Darius invaded Paeonia 480 BC, when Paeonians, Siriopaeones, Paeoplae and all that dwelt as far as Prasiad lake were taken away from their homes and carried into Asia. Psaphara as an important town and citadel at the time of Persian invasion of Paeonia must have been targeted and destroyed.

Reservoir for drinking water, builded with solid blocks of stone.

© Kiril Arsov, 2010