Pangaion hills
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| Pangaion hills | |
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Missing image Pangaion_from_Philippi.jpg Snow-covered Pangaion hills from the forests of Philippi | |
| Elevation: | 1,954 m |
| Latitude: | 37.983/37°59" N |
| Longitude: | 22.183/22°11'" E |
| Location: | southwestern Kavala prefecture and southeastern Serres prefecture, Greece |
| Length: | approx. 5 to 10 km, NW to SE approx. from 10 to 15 km from SW to NE |
| Easiest route: | climb |
The Pangaion Hills (Greek, Ancient/Polytonic: Παγγαῖον, Modern/Monotonic: Παγγαίο), ancient forms: Pangaeon, Pangaeum, Homeric name: Nysa are a mountain range in Greece, approximately 40 km from Kavala. The elevation is 1,956 m and the mountaintop name is Mati meaning eye. The Aegean Sea lies to the north and the plains of Philippi-Drama to the north The mountain ranges covers the southeastern portion of the prefecture of Serres as well as northwestern part of the Kavala prefecture which covers the most part of the hills. The hills are directly across a fertile plain from the ancient city of Philippi, they are located between the Strymon and the Xiropotamos rivers and are covered in Plane and Chestnut trees. Towns found in the Pangaion hills include Nikisiani and Palaiochori which are agricultural in nature and grow mainly grain and tobacco. The town of Palaiohori boasts the ruins of an ancient castle on a peak overlooking the town. Gold and silver were mined in the ancient times. The Athenian tyrant Pisistratus was exiled in the middle of the mountain. The sights of Athens on gold which had a reason of an attempt of an Athenian colony was settled in about 465 BC in the area of Strymon in a place called the Nine Roads (Ennea Odoi) which lead to a failure, the Thracians massacred the colonists and the colony became abandoned.
The municipality of Pangaion is named after this mountain range and the seat of the municipality is Nikisanide:Pangaion fr:Pangée (massif)