The city of New Halos was located in Achaia Phthiotis, a region of Thessaly. Its territory occupied the greater part of Mount Óthris and the Soúrpi plain and shared the area of the Almirós plain with the city of Phthiotic Thebai. Both plains have a long history of habitation going back to at least the Neolithic.
Two cities were known by the name of Halos. The classical city of Halos was located near the Pagasitikós gulf and was destroyed in 346 B.C. by Parmenion, a general of Philippos II. Hellenistic New Halos was located more inland, some 20 kilometers away from its predecessor. It was inhabited from 302 BC until 265 BC, a flourishing period for Thessaly.
Either Demetrios Poliorketes or the Macedonian king Kassandras founded New Halos. Both their armies encamped in the area where New Halos was built and it cannot be said with certainty, which one of them was responsible for the foundation of New Halos. The reason for its abandonment in 265 BC remains unclear, but the amount of broken pottery in situ suggests a hurried departure. Since the Almirós plain is a tectonically active area, the most probable cause is now thought to be an earthquake.

New Halos consisted of a lower town of approximately 40 hectares surrounded by a square enceinte measuring 700 x 700m., reinforced with 68 towers. Two larges gates of the courtyard type and a number of side-entrances provided access to the town. Two walls extended uphill to a small acropolis of about 200 meters. The acropolis could be accessed from the north side through a small gate. At least 50 more towers reinforced its walls.

The enceinte contained the impressive Southeast Gate that opened onto the Soúrpi plain and provided access to the upper town. Two heavy towers flanked the gate, while the rear end of two massive walls joined together to form a courtyard. It is therefore a fair example of a courtyard gate. Both the towers were twelve meters high. The upper chamber was open so catapults could be positioned there, while the bottom chamber could contain archers. The foundations of the gate were made entirely out of limestone blocks; the upper structure probably consisted of mud bricks. After the cities destruction in 260 BC the Southeast Gate was inhabited. The courtyard was then divided in smaller compartments by a series of walls. The gate was finally abandoned in 220 BC. The cause of this was probably a fire, as is suggested by burned artifacts in situ.

The main avenue divides the town into a northern and a southern half with fourteen streets running from east to west and three avenues running from north to south. These streets separate housing blocks of the same width, but varying length. Remains of houses and buildings were found during the excavations of New Halos. The houses, of 15 x 15 m, stood at either end of the housing blocks, while houses of smaller size stood in between.

Six of the houses situated in the lower part of the town, which date to the short period of the towns’ existence (302- 265BC), have been excavated. Coins have been found in all of the six houses. The city of New Halos struck bronze coins in Hellenistic times, as had the classical city of Halos before. The circulation of these coins was restricted to the city itself and perhaps a few neighboring city-states. Some emissions from neighboring cities, however, also circulated in New Halos. No silver coins are known from this area, meaning that the cities relied on foreign emissions for external trade and exchange.

From 1990 onwards an archaeological survey of the Almirós and Soúrpi plain was conducted. For further information click here.