Mαγνησία ἡ πρὸς Σιπύλῳ Mαγνησία ἡ ἐπὶ Σιπύλου | |
  Shown within Turkey | |
| Location | Turkey |
|---|---|
| Region | Manisa Province |
| Coordinates | 38°37′N27°26′E / 38.617°N 27.433°E /38.617; 27.433 |
Magnesia ad Sipylum (Greek:Mαγνησία ἡ πρὸς Σιπύλῳ orMαγνησία ἡ ἐπὶ Σιπύλου; modernManisa,Turkey) was a city ofLydia, situated about 65 km northeast ofSmyrna (nowİzmir) on the riverHermus (nowGediz) at the foot ofMount Sipylus. The city should not be confused with its older neighbor,Magnesia on the Maeander, both founded by colonists from the Greekregion of Magnesia.
The first uncontested mention of the city is from the 5th century BC in the work ofHellanicus of Lesbos.[1] The first famous event conntected with the city is in 190 BC, whenAntiochus the Great was defeated in thebattle of Magnesia by theRoman consulLucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus. It became a city of importance under Roman rule and, though nearlydestroyed by an earthquake in the reign ofTiberius,[2] was restored with financial help from that emperor[3] and flourished through the Roman Empire. It was an important regional centre through theByzantine Empire, and during the 13th-century interregnum of theEmpire of Nicea. Magnesia housed the Imperial mint, the Imperial treasury, and served as the functional capital of the Empire until the recovery ofConstantinople in 1261.[4] Magnesia was one of the few towns in this part ofAnatolia which remained prosperous under the Turkish rule.
There are two famous relics of antiquity. The first is theNiobe of Sipylus (Aglayan Kaya), a natural rock formation, on the lowest slopes of the mountains in the middle of town. The second is theSuratlu Tash, a colossal stone carving allegedly portrayingCybele, about 100 meters up the mountain about 6 km east of the town. This is a colossal seated image cut in a niche of the rock, ofHittite origin, and perhaps that called byPausanias the very ancient statue of the Mother of the Gods, carved byBroteas, son ofTantalus, and sung byHomer. It can be seen by driving into a parking lot at a children's playground.
Near the carving lie many remains of a primitive city, and about a kilometer east is the rock-seat conjecturally identified withPausanias's Throne ofPelops. There are also hot springs and a sacred grotto ofApollo. Parts of the major fortifications built during the Empire of Nicea remain evident.[4]
One of the regions colonized by theMagnetes was a primary source for mysterious stones that could attract or repel each other, possibly leading to the modern term formagnets andmagnetism. Some suggest that it was Magnesia ad Sipylum, others that it was theMagnesia regional unit in Thessaly; this has been debated both in modern times and in antiquity without resolution.[5][6]
Two funerary stelae from the Late Hellenistic period have been discovered in or near the site of ancient Magnesia ad Sipylum, and are now housed in the Manisa Museum. One stele, found inMuradiye (northwest of Manisa), is a marble pedimental slab with sideacroteria; the central top piece is missing. The inscription reads:"Alkimos, son of Herakleides. Farewell!".[7] A person of the same name and patronymic appears in a contemporary inscription from the Cayster Valley, where he is recorded as asymbolaphoros representing the village of Tauroch.[7] A second stele, possibly also marble, was found in Manisa. The first three lines are framed within a wreath. The inscription honors"Theoxenos, son of Asklapon", stating that he was commemorated by"the people and the relatives", suggesting a joint civic and familial dedication.[7]
In total, 38 inscriptions from Magnesia were known in 1978.[8] The most important one is a treaty ofsympoliteia arranged withSmyrna probably in 245.[9]
The town had a bishop in late antiquity, suffran to the bishop in Ephesus. Known bishops include:
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Magnesia".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 319.| Geographic | |
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