Magnetes in the context of Iliad

Skyros (Modern Greek: Σκύρος, pronounced [ˈsciros]), in some historical contexts Latinized Scyros (Ancient Greek: Σκῦρος, Attic Greek pronunciation: [skŷːros]), is an island in Greece. It is the southernmost inhabited island of the Sporades, an archipelago in the Aegean Sea. Around the 2nd millennium BC, the island was known as The Island of the Magnetes; later, it was consecutively known as Pelasgia, Dolopia, and finally Skyros. At 209 km (81 sq mi), it is the largest island of the Sporades, and had a population of about 3,000 in 2021.

Magnesia (Greek: Μαγνησία, Magnisía, IPA: [maɣniˈsia], Ancient Greek: Magnēsía, deriving from the tribe name Magnetes) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of Thessaly. Its capital is the city of Volos. About 70% of the population of Magnesia live in the Greater Volos area, which is the second-largest city in Thessaly and the third busiest commercial port in Greece.

According to the most recent census (2021), the population stands at 177,448. The regional unit hosts 2,000,000 tourists annually. Magnesia is represented in the Greek Parliament by six seats. Its main agricultural products are wheat, cotton, tomatoes, grapes, olives, apples and honey.

Magnesia or Magnesia on the Maeander (Ancient Greek: Μαγνησία ἡ πρὸς Μαιάνδρῳ or Μαγνησία ἡ ἐπὶ Μαιάνδρῳ; Latin: Magnesia ad Maeandrum) was an ancient Greek city in Ionia, considerable in size, at an important location commercially and strategically in the triangle of Priene, Ephesus and Tralles. The city was named Magnesia, after the Magnetes from Thessaly who settled the area along with some Cretans. It was later called "on the Meander" to distinguish it from the nearby Lydian city Magnesia ad Sipylum. It was earlier the site of Leucophrys mentioned by several ancient writers.

The territory around Magnesia was extremely fertile, and produced excellent wine, figs, and cucumbers. It was built on the slope of Mount Thorax, on the banks of the small river Lethacus, a tributary of the Maeander river upstream from Ephesus. It was 15 miles from the city of Miletus. The ruins of the city are located west of the modern village Tekin in the Germencik district of Aydın Province, Turkey.

Anciently, Magnesia (Ancient Greek: Μαγνησία) was a region of Ancient Greece, eventually absorbed by ancient Thessaly. Originally inhabited by the Magnetes (Μάγνητες), Magnesia was the long and narrow slip of country between Mounts Ossa and Pelion on the west and the sea on the east, and extending from the mouth of the Peneius on the north to the Pagasaean Gulf on the south. The Magnetes were members of the Amphictyonic League, and were settled in this district in the Homeric times, and mentioned in the Iliad. The Thessalian Magnetes are said to have founded the Asiatic cities of Magnesia ad Sipylum and Magnesia on the Maeander. The towns of Magnesia were: Aesonis, Aphetae, Boebe, Casthanaea, Cercinium, Coracae, Demetrias, Eurymenae, Glaphyrae, Homole or Homolium, Iolcus, Magnesia, Meliboea, Methone, Mylae, Nelia, Olizon, Pagasae, Rhizus, Spalaethra, and Thaumacia.

39°11′25″N 23°13′03″E / 39.19027°N 23.21758°E / 39.19027; 23.21758

Spalathra (Ancient Greek: Σπάλαθρα) or Spalauthra (Σπάλαυθρα), also called Spalethre (Σπαλέθρη) and Spalathron (Σπάλαθρον), was a town and polis (city-state) of Magnesia, in ancient Thessaly, upon the Pagasetic Gulf. It is conjectured that this town is meant by Lycophron, who describes Prothous, the leader of the Magnetes in the Iliad, as ὁ ἐκ Παλαύθρων (Σπαλαύθρων). The town is also mentioned in the Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax as a city in Magnesia, together with Iolcus, Coracae, Methone and Olizon.