Agora (Ancient Greek:Ἀγορά), also calledCherronesos orChersonesos[1][2] (Ancient Greek:Χερρόνησος, Χερσόνησος; IPA(key): /kʰer.ró.nɛː.sos/, /kʰer.só.nɛː.sos/), was anancient Greek town in Thrace. It was situated about the middle of the narrow neck of theThracian Chersonese (called todayGallipoli peninsula), and not far fromCardia, in what is now EuropeanTurkey.[3]
It was a colony ofAthens, founded between 561 and 556 BCE,[4] and a member of theDelian League.[5] It is known for its series of tyrants in antiquity.Xerxes, when invadingGreece in 480 BCE, passed through it.[6]
Its site is tentatively located near modernBolayır,Turkey.[1][2]
According to the Greek HistorianHerodotus,Militiades the Elder was chosen by the Dolonci to be tyrant of Chersonesos. His most notable achievement was building along wall to guard from invaders crossing the isthmus.[7] Following the death of Militiades the Elder, his maternal half brother, Stesagoras acquired power.[8]
Stesagoras only ruled for approximately three years (519 - 516 BCE), when he was struck in the head by an axe.[8] After Stesagoras' death, thePeisistratids of Athens sentMilitiades the Younger, Stesagoras' brother, to mourn and honor him. After grieving for a period of time, Militiades the Younger restrained all the powerful men of the city and seized control of the area.[9] He later abandoned the area whenDarius I invaded in 493 BCE.[10]
40°30′49″N26°47′11″E / 40.513545°N 26.786353°E /40.513545; 26.786353
| Geographic | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Agora".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
