Αλεξάνδρεια Τρωάς Eski Stambul | |
 Thermae in Alexandria Troas | |
  Alexandria Troas Shown within Turkey | |
| Alternative name | Sigeia, Antigonia Troas, Colonia Alexandria Augusta Troas, Troas |
|---|---|
| Location | Dalyan,Çanakkale Province,Turkey |
| Region | Troad |
| Coordinates | 39°45′06″N26°09′31″E / 39.75167°N 26.15861°E /39.75167; 26.15861 |
| Type | Settlement |
| Area | 400 ha (990 acres) |
Alexandria Troas ("Alexandria of theTroad";Greek:Αλεξάνδρεια Τρωάς;Turkish:Eski Stambul, "OldIstanbul") is the site of anancient Greek city situated on theAegean Sea near the northern tip ofTurkey's western coast, the area known historically asTroad, a little south ofTenedos (modernBozcaada). It is located southeast of modern Dalyan, a village in theEzine district ofÇanakkale Province. The site sprawls over an estimated 400 hectares (990 acres); among the few structures remaining today are a ruinedbath, anodeon, atheatre,gymnasium complex[1] and a recently uncoveredstadion.[2] The circuit of the old walls can still be traced.
According toStrabo, this site was first called Sigia (Σιγία);[1][3] around 306 BCAntigonus refounded the city as the much-expanded Antigonia Troas by settling the people of five other towns in Sigia,[4] including the once influential city ofNeandreia.[5] It did not receive its name until its name was changed byLysimachus to Alexandria Troas, in 301 BC, in memory ofAlexander the Greatof Macedon (Pliny merely states that the name changed from Antigonia to Alexandria[6]). The city continued being called Alexandria Troas, as is stated in the 4th-5th c. ADTabula Peutingeriana. As the chief port of north-west Asia Minor, the place prospered greatly in Roman times, becoming a "free and autonomous city" as early as 188 BC,[4] and the existing remains sufficiently attest its former importance. In its heyday the city may have had a population of about 100,000.[5]Strabo mentions that aRomancolony was created at the location in the reign ofAugustus, named Colonia Alexandria Augusta Troas (called simply Troas during this period). Augustus,Hadrian and the rich grammarianHerodes Atticus contributed greatly to its embellishment; the aqueduct still preserved is due to the latter.Julius Caesar andConstantine considered making Troas the capital of theRoman Empire.[7]
In Roman times, it was a significant port for travelling betweenAnatolia and Europe. According to the account in theActs of the Apostles,Paulof Tarsus sailed for Europe for the first time from Alexandria Troas[8] and returned there from Europe (it was there that the episode of the raising ofEutychus occurred[9]).Ignatius of Antioch also paused at this city before continuing to his martyrdom at Rome.[10]
Several of its laterbishops are known: Marinus in 325; Niconius in 344; Sylvanus at the beginning of the 5th century; Pionius in 451; Leo in 787; Peter, friend of thePatriarch Ignatius, and adversary to Michael, in the ninth century. In the 10th century Troas is given as a suffragan ofCyzicus and distinct from the famousTroy (Heinrich Gelzer,Ungedruckte ... Texte der Notitiae episcopatuum, 552;Georgii Cyprii descriptio orbis romani, 64); it is not known when the city was destroyed and the diocese disappeared. The bishopric remains atitular see of theCatholic Church under the name Troas, vacant since 1971.[11]
Troas is also a titular see of theEastern Orthodox Church under theEcumenical Patriarchate. Bishop Savas (Zembillas) of Troas[12] served as hierarch from 2002 to 2011, and then becameMetropolitan Savas (Zembillas) of Pittsburgh in theGreek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.[13]
KarasidTurkomans settled in the area of the Troad in the 14th century. Theirbeylik was conquered by the Ottomans in 1336. The ruins of Alexandria Troas came to be known among the Turks asEski Stambul, the "Old City".[1] The site's stones were much plundered for building material (for exampleMehmed IV took columns to adorn hisYeni Valide Mosque inIstanbul). As of the mid-18th century the site served as "a lurking place for bandetti".[14]
By 1911, the site had been overgrown withVallonea oaks and much plundered, but the circuit of the old walls could still be traced, and in several places they were fairly well preserved. They had a circumference of about ten kilometres, and were fortified with towers at regular intervals.[15]Remains of an ancient bath and gymnasium complex can be found within this area; this building is locally known asBal Saray (Honey Palace) and was originally endowed by Herodes Atticus in the year 135.[1]Trajan built an aqueduct which can still be traced.[15] The harbour had two large basins, now almost choked with sand. It is the subject of an early twenty-first century study by German archaeologists digging and surveying at the site. Their excavation uncovered the remains of a large stadium dating to about 100 BC.[2]
Media related toAlexandria Troas at Wikimedia Commons
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