Spercheios

Spercheios
The river Spercheios at Vitoli, Makrakomi.
Country	Greece
Basin features
Main source	Tymfristos
River mouth	Aegean Sea 38°51′50″N 22°34′35″E / 38.86389°N 22.57639°E / 38.86389; 22.57639Coordinates: 38°51′50″N 22°34′35″E / 38.86389°N 22.57639°E / 38.86389; 22.57639
Physical characteristics
Length	82 km (51 mi)

The Spercheios (Greek: Σπερχειός, Sperkheiós), also known as the Spercheus from its Latin name, is a river in Phthiotis in central Greece. It was worshipped as a god in the ancient Greek religion and appears in some collections of Greek mythology. In antiquity, its upper valley was known as Ainis. In AD 997, its valley was the site of the Battle of Spercheios, which ended Bulgarian incursions into the Byzantine Empire.

The river begins in the Tymfristos mountains on the border with Evrytania and flows to the east through the village Agios Georgios Tymfristou, entering a wide plain. It flows along the towns Makrakomi and Leianokladi, and south of the Phthiotidan capital Lamia. The river flows through an area of former wetlands, that have been reclaimed for agriculture. It empties into the Malian Gulf of the Aegean Sea 13 kilometers (8 mi) southeast of Lamia. In antiquity, the mouth of the river was the site of Antikyra, which was famed for its black and white hellebore.