Pangaion Hills
| Pangaion Hills | |
|---|---|
 Snow-covered Pangaion hills from the forests of Kavala | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Koutra |
| Elevation | 1,956 m (6,417 ft) |
| Coordinates | 40°55′01″N 24°04′58″E / 40.91694°N 24.08278°ECoordinates: 40°55′01″N 24°04′58″E / 40.91694°N 24.08278°E |
| Geography | |
| Country | Greece |
| Regional unit | Kavala and Serres |
The Pangaion Hills (Greek, Παγγαίο, ancient forms: Pangaeon, Pangaeum, Homeric name: Nysa) are a mountain range in Greece, approximately 40 km from Kavala. The highest elevation is 1,956 m and the mountaintop name is Koutra. The Aegean Sea lies to the south and the plains of Philippi-Kavala to the north The mountain ranges covers the southeastern portion of the Serres regional unit as well as northwestern part of the Kavala regional unit which covers the most part of the hills.
Ottoman Turks called the hills Pınar Dağ (Spring Mount). The Bulgarian name is Kushnitsa (Кушница) or Kushinitsa (Кушиница).
Description
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 Oriental 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 Palaiochori 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. It was with the rich gold and silver available in the region in mind that the Athenians sent out a colony in 465 in an area known as the Nine Roads (Ennea Hodoi). The colonists were massacred by nearby Thracians and the colony was abandoned, though the Athenians would return to the area with their colony at Amphipolis.
The municipality of Pangaio is named after this mountain range and the seat of the municipality is Eleftheroupolis.