Serres ( ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece. It is the capital of the Serres regional unit and the second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki.
Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northern Greece. The city is situated in a fertile plain at an elevation of about , some northeast of the Strymon river and north-east of Thessaloniki. Serres' official municipal population was 70,703 in 2021.
The city is home to the Department of Physical Education and Sport Science of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki () and the Serres Campus of the International Hellenic University (former "Technological Educational Institute of Central Macedonia"), composed of the Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of Economics and Management, and the Department of Interior Architecture and Design. The head of the Faculty of Engineering of the International Hellenic University is located in Serres.
Names The Ancient Greek historian Herodotus mentions the city as Siris (Σίρις) in the 5th century BC. Theopompus refers to the city as Sirra (Σίρρα). Later, it is mentioned as Sirae, in the plural, by the Roman historian Livy. Since then the name of the city has remained plural and by the 5th century AD it was already in the contemporary form as Serrae or Sérrai (Σέρραι) (plural), which remained the Katharevousa form for the name till modern times. In the local Greek dialect, the city is still known as "ta Serras" (τα Σέρρας), which is actually a corruption of the plural accusative "tas Serras" (τας Σέρρας) of the archaic form "Serrae".https://www.serres.gr/index.php/istoria/praktika-diethnon-epistimonikon-synedrion-serron-2/istoria-serron-samsaris Dimitrios C. Samsaris, A history of Serres (in the Ancient and Roman times), Thessaloniki 1999, p. 9-14 (Website of Municipality of Serres) The oldest mention of this form is attested in a document of the Docheiariou Monastery in Mount Athos from 1383, while there are many other such references in documents from the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. It was known as or () in Ottoman Turkish. In the Slavic languages, the city is known as Ser (Сер) in Macedonian, while in Bulgarian it is known as Syar (Сяр) or Ser (Сер). Furthermore, in Aromanian, Serres was known in the past by two historical place names, "Siar" and "Nsiar".
History
Antiquity Although the earliest mention of Serres (as Siris) is dating in the 5th century BC (Herodotus), the city was founded long before the Trojan War, probably at the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. The ancient city was built on a high and steep hill (known as "Koulas") just north of Serres.https://www.serres.gr/index.php/istoria/praktika-diethnon-epistimonikon-synedrion-serron-2/istoria-serron-samsaris Dimitrios C. Samsaris, A History of Serres (in the Ancient and Roman Times) (in Greek), Thessaloniki 1999, p. 48 (Website of Municipality of Serres) It held a strategic position, since it controlled a land road that followed the valley of the river Strymon from the shores of Strymonian Gulf to the Danubian countries.
The most ancient known inhabitants of the area were the Bryges (Phrygians) and Strymonians. Afterwards were the Paeonian tribes of the SiropaionesDimitrios C. Samsaris, Les Péoniens dans la vallée du Bas-Strymon, Klio 64(1982), 2, p. 339-351 (since 1100 BC) and Odomantes (from the early 5th century BC until the end of antiquity).Dimitrios C. Samsaris, Les Thraces dans l’ Empire romain d’ Orient (Le territoire de la Grèce actuelle). Etude ethno-démographique, sociale, prosopographique et anthroponymique, Jannina (Université) 1993, p. 36, 372 et passim These populations mainly engaged in agriculture and cattle-raising especially worshiped the Sun, the deified river Strymon and later the "Thracian horseman".https://www.serres.gr/index.php/istoria/praktika-diethnon-epistimonikon-synedrion-serron-2/istoria-serron-samsaris Dimitrios C. Samsaris, A history of Serres (in the Ancient and Roman times), Thessaloniki 1999, p. 27-46, 69–71, 83–96 (Website of Municipality of Serres)
The ancient city of Serraepolis was founded in Cilicia by Siropaiones exiled from Serres.
Roman era During the Roman period (168 BC – 315 AD) the city is mentioned in sources under the name Sirra (Σίρρα) and in inscriptions as Sirraion polis (Σιρραίων πόλις, ).Dimitrios C. Samsaris, La vallée du Bas-Strymon á l’ époque impériale (Contribution épigraphique á la topographie, l' onomastique, l' histoire et aux cultes de la province romaine de Macédoine), Dodona 18 (1989), fasc. 1, p. 235, n. 37 = The Packard Humanities Institute (Samsaris, Bas-Strymon 37, # PH150675) It was an important city of the Roman province of Macedonia, with the status of a civitas stipendaria. It flourished especially during the imperial period thanks to the Pax Romana. Then, during the great crisis of the Roman Empire (235–284 AD), the city declined and only in the times of Diocletian, with its reforms (Tetrarchic system), returned to prosperity.https://www.serres.gr/index.php/istoria/praktika-diethnon-epistimonikon-synedrion-serron-2/istoria-serron-samsaris Dimitrios C. Samsaris, A History of Serres, p. 97-113 (Website of Municipality of Serres)
As regards the urban structure it featured, like all Greek cities, a market (agora), parliament (bouleuterion), theater, gymnasium and temples. As we know from epigraphic evidence, the local government was also based on the known Greek institutions, which were the parliament (boule), the citizen body (demos) and the archons (politarchai, agoranomoi, gymnasiarchai, high priests etc.).Dimitrios C. Samsaris, La vallée du Bas-Strymon á l’ époque impériale (Contribution épigraphique á la topographie, l’ onomastique, l’ histoire et aux cultes de la province romaine de Macédoine), Dodona 18 (1989), fasc. 1, p. 235-236, n. 37-38 = The Packard Humanities Institute (Samsaris, Bas-Strymon 37, # PH150675)The Packard Humanities Institute (Samsaris, Bas-Strymon 38, # PH150676) It was also the seat of a federation of five cities ("Pentapolis") and actively participated in the provincial life and organization of the Macedonians; while many residents, mostly members of the local aristocracy, had received the right of Roman citizenship and were promoted to senior provincial dignities.https://www.serres.gr/index.php/istoria/praktika-diethnon-epistimonikon-synedrion-serron-2/istoria-serron-samsaris Dimitrios C. Samsaris, A history of Serres (in the Ancient and Roman times), p. 9-13, 97–125, 186–188 (Website of Municipality of Serres) Dimitrios C. Samsaris, Individual grants of the Roman citizenship (civitas Romana) and its propagation in the Roman province of Macedonia, III. The eastern part of the province (in Greek), Makedonika 28(1991–92)156–196
As a city-state (polis), apart from the usual Greek institutions, Sirra also had its own territory (chora), which roughly coincided with the area of the modern province of Serres. The organization of its territory was based on villages (komai, sing. kome), whose many sites have been found in various places near modern villages, such as Lefkonas, Oreini, Ano Vrontou, Neo Souli, Agio Pnevma, Chryso, Paralimnio etc. Within the limits of its territory have also discovered traces of marble quarries and iron mines, which indicate systematic exploitation of the existing mineral wealth in the imperial period (1st to 3rd century AD).Dimitrios C. Samsaris, Les mines et la metallurgie de fer et de cuivre dans la province romaine de Macédoine, Klio 69(1987), 1, p. 154, 156-157In terms of population, except the most numerous Greek element, are recognized some population substrates even from prehistoric times. Concerning the society, the main feature was its distinction in upper (rich) and lower (poor) social strata (honestiores and humiliores in Latin). Finally, concerning the cults of the residents, except the known panhellenic cults (Dionysus, Zeus, Dioscuri, Apollo, Asclepius, Artemis and Isis),https://www.serres.gr/index.php/istoria/praktika-diethnon-epistimonikon-synedrion-serron-2/istoria-serron-samsaris Dimitrios C. Samsaris, A history of Serres, p. 137-175, 213–254 (Website of Municipality of Serres) are evidenced and some local and Thracian cults as the Thracian horseman (or "Hero").Dimitrios C. Samsaris, Le culte du Cavalier thrace dans la vallée du Bas-Strymon à l’ époque romaine (Recherches pour la localisation de ses sanctuaries), Dritter Internationaler Thrakologischer Kongress (2-6 Juni 1980, Wien), II, Sofia 1984, p. 284-289 == D. C. Samsaris, Recherches sur l’ histoire, la topographie et les cultes des provinces romaines de Macédoine et de Thrace (en grec), Thessalonique 1984, p. 43-58
Many inscriptions of Roman (imperial) times have been found in the city (and to the early 1960s in the surrounding area). From these inscriptions (almost all written in Greek and only three in Latin), the eight are votive or honorificDimitrios C. Samsaris, La vallée du Bas-Strymon á l’ époque impériale (Contribution épigraphique á la topographie, l’ onomastique, l’ histoire et aux cultes de la province romaine de Macédoine), Dodona 18 (1989), fasc. 1, p. 232-240, n. 35-42 = The Packard Humanities Institute (Samsaris, Bas-Strymon 35, # PH150672)The Packard Humanities Institute (Samsaris, Bas-Strymon 36, # PH150673)The Packard Humanities Institute (Samsaris, Bas-Strymon 36(1), # PH150674)The Packard Humanities Institute (Samsaris, Bas-Strymon 37, # PH150675)The Packard Humanities Institute (Samsaris, Bas-Strymon 38, # PH150676)The Packard Humanities Institute (Samsaris, Bas-Strymon 39, # PH150677)The Packard Humanities Institute (Samsaris, Bas-Strymon 40, # PH150678) The Packard Humanities Institute (Samsaris, Bas-Strymon 41, # PH150679)The Packard Humanities Institute (Samsaris, Bas-Strymon 42, # PH150680) and all other on epitaph reliefs or steles.Dimitrios C. Samsaris, La vallée du Bas-Strymon á l’ époque impériale (Contribution épigraphique á la topographie, l’ onomastique, l’ histoire et aux cultes de la province romaine de Macédoine), Dodona 18 (1989), fasc. 1, p. 241-262, n. 43-89
Middle Ages The first attested bishop of the city is recorded as participating in the Second Council of Ephesus in 449.
In Emperor Nikephoros I rebuilt the town and installed a strong garrison against the Slavic tribes of the Balkans. The city's history was uneventful until the 10th century, being in the heartland of the Byzantine Greek world, until it was pillaged and briefly occupied by the Bulgarians. In 1185, the environs of the city were pillaged by a Norman invasion, and in the Battle of Serres in 1195/6 the Byzantines were defeated by the rebellious Bulgarian ruler Ivan Asen I. After the Fourth Crusade, Boniface of Montferrat took over the city, but shortly after Kaloyan of Bulgaria defeated the Crusaders of the Latin Empire and captured the city, until it was retaken by the Crusaders in the early 1230s. According to George Akropolites, Kaloyan almost destroyed the city, reducing it from a sizeable urban centre to a small settlement clustered around the fortified citadel, while the lower town was protected by a weak stone wall.