In classical antiquity the name of the mountain pass was recorded as Tsangon,[3][4] which was traditionally a border area between Macedon and Illyria, being part of an important east-west communication route.[5][6]
History
The Tsangon Pass is mentioned by Arrian (2nd century CE) in The Anabasis of Alexander when describing Alexander's campaign in Illyria and the Siege of Pelium, which was waged in 335 BCE by Alexander the Great against Illyrians who revolted under the leadership of Cleitus, son of Bardylis, with the aid of Glaukias king of the Taulantii.[7] This mountain pass controlled one of the only two main west-east routes between Illyria and Macedonia. The other one was the route that became Via Egnatia in Roman times, which was located further north.[8][5] Alexander undertook his campaign in the Tsangon Pass to take Pelion ensuring the control of his western border, in order to protect Macedonia from Illyrian invasion before setting out for his eastern campaign. The northern route was already controlled by Macedon after Philip II's founding of Herakleia.[8]
^Winnifrith 2002, p. 146: "Hammond talks about the lack of food, but there was food on the Poloskë plain east of the Tsangon pass, and Alexander, after an initial display of strength, was able to get food, although there were Illyrians on the mountains."
^King 2017, p. 148: "Winnifrith 2002: 143–148 suggests a site closer to the Tsangon Pass at Zvezdë. For the latter reference I am indebted to Jake Morton (personal correspondence); his recent autopsy leads him to favour Winnifrith’s suggestion, Zvezdë over Goricë and Selcë, which he believes is too far north."
^ abMorton 2017, p. 91: "Alexander waged his campaign in at the Tsangon pass to control his western border before heading off on his extended eastern campaign. This makes sense as this pass controls one of the only two major east-west routes between Illyria and Macedonia, the other being the northern route that became the via Egnatia. Philip II's founding of Herakleia controlled Illyrian access west by the northern route; Alexander taking Pelium and the Tsangon pass controlled the southern route. ... Thus, by taking Pelium, Alexander could reasonably believe that he had protected Macedonia from Illyrian invasion and head off on his eastern campaign."
^Morton 2017, p. 91: "Similarly, Sulpicius took Pelium to secure the Tsangon pass and the southern route east-west between Macedonian and Illyria and his control of the Genusus valley (by the allied Parthini and the earlier part of his 199 BC campaign) controlled the northernroute, again leaving the Metsovo pass as the next available option for the Macedonians to go west."
^Papazoglu 1988, p. 280: "Tous les passages débouchant dans la plaine pélagonienne ont été mis en ligne de compte. Même ceux qui reliaient la Lyncestide à l'Illyrie méridionale, comme le défilé de Tsangon, au Sud du lac de la Petite Prespa, ou bien le col de Djavato, entre Héraclée et Lychnidos.
Oikonomidis, Stavros (2018). "Διασυνοριακές οχυρές θέσειςμεταξύ Μακεδονίας και Ιλλυρίαςκατά την Πρώιμη Εποχή του Σιδήρου" [Fortresses of frontier between Macedonian and Illyria in the Early Iron Age]. Το Αρχαιολογικό Έργο στην Άνω Μακεδονία [To archaiologiko ergo stēn Anō Makedonia] - ΑΕΑΜ 3 (in Greek). A. Ainē: 133–145. ISBN978-618-81407-3-8. ISSN2241-0902.
