The Gallikos river springs from the Kroussia Mts and flows into the Thermaikos Gulf. In ancient times the river was called Echedoros, that is, the one who bears gifts, because gold nuggets were found in its silts. Although smaller than the Axios river, it was well known due to the amount of gold present.
Herodotus, in his attempt to emphasize the large number of Xerxes’ troops, mentions that Echedoros, (Cheidoros as he calls it) was the only river that could not meet the needs of the army for drinking purposes and dried up as a result of the excessive extraction of water (Herodotus, Histories, VII. 127.2).
The name Gallikos likely comes from the word kallikoa (καλλικώα) and means high quality sheepskins, which probably referred to the ancient method of collecting gold from the river using animal hides .
