Ἴκαρος | |
  Ikaros (Failaka) Location within Kuwait Show map of Kuwait | |
| Location |  Kuwait |
|---|---|
| Region | Mesopotamia |
| Coordinates | 29°26′20″N48°20′00″E / 29.43889°N 48.33333°E /29.43889; 48.33333 (approximate) |
Ikaros (Greek:Ἴκαρος) was theHellenistic name for what is now theFailaka Island ofKuwait.[1] It is located 50 kilometres (31 mi) southeast of the spot where theTigris and Euphrates empty into thePersian Gulf.[2] For thousands of years, the island served as a strategic point in the Persian Gulf that would enable its ruler to control the lucrative trade that passed through the area;[3][2] the island has been a strategic location since the rise of theSumerian city-state ofUr inMesopotamia.[3]
Having returned toPersia afterhis Indian campaign, an order was issued byAlexander the Great that called for the island to be namedIcarus on the namesake ofthe Greek island in the Aegean Sea.[4] This was likely aHellenized version of the local name,Akar (Aramaic: ´KR), derived from the ancientBronze-Age toponymAgarum.[5] Another suggestion is that the name Ikaros was influenced by the local É-kara temple, dedicated to theBabylonian sun-godShamash. That both Failaka in the Persian Gulf and Icarus in theAegean Sea housedbull cults would have made the identification all the more tempting.[6][7]
During the Hellenistic era, there was a temple dedicated toArtemis on the island;[4][8][9] the wild animals of the island were dedicated to the goddess with a decree for their protection.[4]Strabo wrote that there was a temple ofApollo and anoracle of Artemis (μαντεῖον Ταυροπόλου;Tauropolus).[10] The island is also mentioned byStephanus of Byzantium[11] andPtolemaeus.[12]
Remains of the settlement include a largeHellenistic fort and twoGreek temples.[13] Failaka was also a trading post (emporion) of theParthian kingdom ofCharacene.
