Νῦσα(in Greek) | |
 Thebouleuterion/odeion of Nysa | |
  Nysa Shown within Turkey | |
| Location | Sultanhisar,Aydın Province,Turkey |
|---|---|
| Region | Caria |
| Coordinates | 37°54′06″N28°08′48″E / 37.90167°N 28.14667°E /37.90167; 28.14667 |
| Type | Settlement |
Nysa on the Maeander (Greek:Νύσα or Νύσσα) was an ancient city and bishopric ofAsia Minor, whose remains are in theSultanhisar district ofAydın Province ofTurkey, 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of theIonian city ofEphesus, and which remains a Latin Catholictitular see.
At one time it was reckoned as belonging toCaria orLydia,[1][2] but under theRoman Empire it was within theprovince ofAsia, which had Ephesus for capital, and thebishop of Nysa was thus asuffragan of themetropolitan see of Ephesus.[3][4][5]
Nysa was situated on the southern slope of mount Messogis, on the north of theMaeander, and about midway betweenTralles andAntioch on the Maeander. The mountain torrentEudon, a tributary of the Maeander, flowed through the middle of the town by a deep ravine spanned by a bridge, connecting the two parts of the town.[6][7][8][9][10][11] Tradition assigned the foundation of the place to three brothers, Athymbrus (Ἀθυμβρός), Athymbradus (Ἀθύμβραδος), and Hydrelus (Ὕδρηλος), who emigrated fromSparta, and founded three towns on the north of the Maeander; but in the course of time Nysa absorbed them all; the Nysaeans, however, recognise more especially Athymbrus as their founder.[12][6]
InGreek mythology,Dionysus, the god of wine was born or raised in Nysa or Nyssa, a name that was consequently given to many towns in all parts of the world associated with cultivation of grapes.[2] The name "Nysa" is mentioned inHomer'sIliad (Book 6.132-133), which refers to a hero named Lycurgus, "who once drove the nursing mothers of wine-crazed Dionysus over the sacred mountains of Nysa".
The town derived its name of Nysa from Nysa, one of the wives ofAntiochus I Soter, who reigned from 281 to 261 BC and founded the city on the site of an earlier town calledAthymbra (Ἄθυμβρα),[13] a name that continued in use until the second half of the 3rd century BC, but not in the earliest coinage of Nysa, which is of the next century.[1][14] According toStephanus of Byzantium, the town also bore the namePythopolis (Πυθόπολις).[15]
Nysa appears to have been distinguished for its cultivation of literature, forStrabo mentions several eminent philosophers and rhetoricians; and the geographer himself, when a youth, attended the lectures ofAristodemus, a disciple ofPanaetius and grandson of the famousPosidonius, whose influence is manifest in Strabo'sGeography. Another Aristodemus of Nysa, a cousin of the former, had been the instructor ofPompey.[6][16] Nysa was then a centre of study that specialized in Homeric literature and the interpretation of epics. Nysa was ruled by theHellenisticSeleucid Empire, theRoman Empire, its continuation theByzantine Empire, and by the Turks, until its final abandonment after being sacked byTamerlane in 1402. The coins of Nysa are very numerous, and exhibit a series of Roman emperors fromAugustus toGallienus.
Hierocles classes Nysa among the sees of Asia, and its bishops are mentioned in the Councils of Ephesus and Constantinople.[10] Nysa became asuffragan of its provincial capital's metropolitanArchdiocese of Ephesus, I the sway of thePatriarchate of Constantinople.Of the Byzantine bishops of Nysa in Asia, several are historically documented:[3][4][5]
The diocese was nominally restored in 1933 as LatinTitular bishopric of Nysa in Asia (Latin) /Nisa di Asia (Curiate Italian) / Nysæus in Asia (Latin adjective),[17] of the Episcopal (lowest) rank, but it remains vacant, never having had an incumbent.
There are important ruins on the site from the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods. The well-preserved theatre, built during the Roman Imperial period, is famous for its friezes depicting the life ofDionysus, god of the grape harvest, winemaking and wine. It has a capacity 12,000 people. Thelibrary dating from the 2nd century A.D. is considered to be Turkey's second-best preserved ancient library structure after the "Celsus Library" ofEphesus. Thestadium of Nysa, which suffered from floods and is therefore partially damaged, has a capacity of 30,000 people. Thebouleuterion (municipal senate), later adapted as anodeon, with 12 rows of seats, offers room for up to 600-700 people. Other significant structures include theagora,gymnasion and the Roman baths. The 100 m longNysa Bridge, a tunnel-like substructure, was the second largest of its kind in antiquity.[18]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Nysa".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
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