Ἀχίλλειον | |
  Achilleion Shown within Turkey | |
| Location | Yeniköy,Çanakkale Province,Turkey |
|---|---|
| Region | Troad |
| Coordinates | 39°54′54″N26°9′9″E / 39.91500°N 26.15250°E /39.91500; 26.15250 |
| Type | Settlement |
Achilleion (Ancient Greek:Ἀχίλλειον,romanized: Achilleion;Latin:Achilleum) was anancient Greek city in the south-west of theTroad region ofAnatolia.[1] It has been located on a promontory known as Beşika Burnu ('cradle promontory') about 8 km south ofSigeion.[2] Beşika Burnu is 2 km south of the modern village of Yeniköy in theEzine district ofÇanakkale Province,Turkey.[3] The site considered inclassical antiquity to be the tomb ofAchilles is a short distance inland at atumulus known as Beşiktepe.[4] Achilleion in the Troad is not to be confused with Achilleion nearSmyrna and Achilleion in the territory ofTanagra.[5]
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The otherwise obscurepolis of Achilleion was most famous inclassical antiquity for its association withAchilles, after whom it was named ('the place of Achilles'). According to some sources, while passing byIlion in 334 BCAlexander the Great sacrificed at the Tomb of Achilles.[6] This story became famous, and in the mid-1st century BC it is mentioned by the politician and writerCicero in hisPro Archia Poeta.[7] In AD 216 the EmperorCaracalla emulated Alexander when, on passingIlion on his way to a war againstParthia, he held funeral games around the tumulus.[8] Following the abandonment of the settlement at Achilleion in the lateHellenistic period, writers began to associate the tomb with nearbySigeion to the north.[9]
The first mention of Achilleion is as a fortified settlement from whichMytilene conducted its attacks onAthenian controlledSigeion to the north in the early 6th centuryBCE.[10] It is not clear whether Achilleion had been settled earlier, but theceramic record also begins at this point, suggesting that it had not.[11] Recent excavations have established that the walls of the settlement also date to the first half of the 6th century BCE, further corroborating the literary accounts ofHerodotus andStrabo regarding its origins.[12] Achilleion remained under Mytilenaean control until Athens brought an end to theMytilenean revolt in 427 BCE and took over all the so-calledActaean cities in theTroad. Achilleion appears in the Athenian tribute lists for 425/4 and 422/1 BCE, indicating that it had joined theDelian League.[13] The legendAX (ACH) which some bronze coins found in this region bear is thought to refer to Ach (illeion) and suggest that c. 350 - 300 BCE the city minted its own coins.[14] KingLysimachussynoecizedIlion with many surrounding communities including Achilleion during his reign (306 - 281 BCE), effectively ending Achilleion's political independence.[15] The testimony ofDemetrius of Scepsis, who hailed from a nearby town in the Troad, indicates that there was still a hamlet known as Achilleion on the site in the mid-2nd century BCE.[16] It is to around this time that the latestceramic finds from Achilleion date, suggesting that the site became uninhabited soon afterwards.[17]
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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