Nicaea orNikaia (Ancient Greek:Νίκαια), was an ancient fortress of theEpicnemidian Locrians, situated upon the sea, and close to the pass ofThermopylae. It is described byAeschines as one of the places which commanded the pass.[1] It was the first Locrian town afterAlpenos, the latter being at the very entrance of the pass. The surrender of Nicaea byPhalaecus toPhilip II, in 346 BCE, made theMacedonian king master of Thermopylae, and brought theThird Sacred War to an end.[2] Philip kept possession of it for some time, but subsequently gave it to theThessalians along withMagnesia.[3] But in 340 BC we again find Nicaea in the possession of Philip.[4] According toMemnon of Heraclea,[5] Nicaea was destroyed by thePhocians, and its inhabitants foundedBithynian Nicaea. But even if this is true, the town must have been rebuilt soon afterwards, since we find it in the hands of theAetolians during theRoman wars inGreece.[6] Subsequently the town is only mentioned byStrabo (ix. p. 426).William Martin Leake identifies Nicaea with the castle ofMendenitsa, where there are ancient remains.[7]
Modern scholars place its site at Ag. Triada / Palaiokastro.[8][9]
10. Livy, "The Dawn of the Roman Empire", (Oxford World's Classics, 2000, Books 31-40) Book 32, chapt 32, p 86, "They [Phillip II of Macedonia and Roman Consul, Quinctius] chose a site on a beach in the Malian Gulf near Nicaea..." in 197 BC.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Nicaea".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.Authority control databases: Geographic |
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38°48′17″N22°35′50″E / 38.8048°N 22.5971°E /38.8048; 22.5971
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