The sign says: Phthiotides Theban is the name by which two ancient cities were known in the area of Magnesia. The first city was situated by the sea, in the area occupied nowadays by Nea Anchialos, a beautiful town founded in 1906 by Greek immigrants from Anchialos in East Romily. The ruins of the second city are located on a hillside, north of the village Mikro-thebes. This city is was mentioned by ancient writers (Stravon, Livius, etc.) and its existence was confirmed by excavations since 1907. The first city was originally called Pyrasos and Demetrion. Of all the cities Homer mentions, only Pyrasos has been most accurately identified.
On the 29 metres hill called Magoula was the Acropolis of Pyrasos. The wall remains of successive settlements and ceramic vessels belong to the classical and Geometric Era, the Bronze, the Middle Hellenic and the Neolithic Age. Its harbor was used as the import-export center of the entire Thessaly. Both Pyrasos and the ancient city of Thebae were destroyed by Philip V in 217 BC and were deserted when visited by Strabo.
The survivors of both cities settled around the ancient harbor and so a new city was founded. Its old place-names being forgotten, from the 2 century AD onwards, to make the distinction from the homonymus Boeotion city, it was called Phthiotides Thebae. The city prospered and flourished especially from during the early Christian period up to the end of the 6 century AD. These incl important religions secular and public buildings with a rich decorations of marble sculptures, wall and floor mosaics, paved streets, aqueducts and a vast number of artifacts dated between the 3" and the 6 century AD.
Christian inscriptions, bear the abbreviation Church of Theboe. The excavations between 1924-1992 revealed monuments from the Late Roman and Early Christian Period up to the 7 century AD, when it is considered that this city ceased to exist.
The most important monuments so far revealed are 10 basilicas, showing the undoubted significance of Phthiotic Thebae as an early Christion center. The basilicas were surrounded by annexes between which the baptisteries have a predominant place.
The Complex of Basilicas of Archbishop Peter has three Basilicas, from the 4th, the 5th century AD, and the third during the reign of Justinian 1 (532 AD.), It is the largest and the richest of all city monuments.