Ancient Greek:Λυσιμάχεια | |
  Lysimachia Shown within Marmara | |
| Location | Kavakköy,Gelibolu,Çanakkale,Gulf of Saros,Turkey |
|---|---|
| Region | Thrace |
| Coordinates | 40°35′N26°53′E / 40.583°N 26.883°E /40.583; 26.883 |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Builder | Lysimachus |
| Founded | 309 BC |
Lysimachia (Greek:Λυσιμάχεια) was an importantHellenistic Greek town on the north-western extremity of theThracian Chersonese (the modernGallipoli peninsula) in the neck where the peninsula joins the mainland in what is now theEuropean part ofTurkey, not far from the bay of Melas (the modernGulf of Saros). It is located near the modern village ofBolayır, not at Hexamili as previously thought.[1]
The city was built byLysimachus in 309 BC, when he was preparing for war with hisrivals; for the new city, being situated on the isthmus, commanded the road fromSestos to the north and the mainland ofThrace. In order to obtain inhabitants for his new city, Lysimachus destroyed the neighbouring town ofCardia, the birthplace of the historianHieronymus,[2] and settled the inhabitants of it and other Chersonesean cities here.[3] Lysimachus no doubt made Lysimachia the capital of his kingdom, and it must have rapidly risen to great splendour and prosperity.
After his death the city fell underSeleucid dominion, and during the wars betweenSeleucus Callinicus andPtolemy Euergetes it passed from the hands of the Seleucids into those of the Ptolemies. Whether these latter set the town free, or whether it emancipated itself, is uncertain; at any rate it entered into the relation ofsympolity with theAetolian League. In 287 BC, the city was severely damaged by an earthquake, as reported by the Roman historian Justin (17.1.1–3). In 277 BC, near Lysimachia theMacedonian kingAntigonus II Gonatasdefeated the Gauls. As the Aetolians were not able to afford the town the necessary protection, it was destroyed again in 197 BC by theThracians during thewar of theRomans againstPhilip V of Macedon. The Seleucid kingAntiochus the Great restored the place, collected the scattered and enslaved inhabitants, and attracted colonists from all parts by generous promises.[4] This restoration, however, appears to have been unsuccessful, and under the dominion ofRome it decayed more and more.
The last time the place is mentioned under its ancient name, is in a passage ofAmmianus Marcellinus.[5] TheemperorJustinian (527–565) restored it and surrounded it with strong fortifications,[6] and after that time it is spoken of only under the name of Hexamilion.[7] The place now occupying the site of Lysimachia,Eksemil, derives its name from the Justinianian fortress, though the ruins of the ancient city are more numerous in the neighbouring village ofOrtaköy.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Lysimachia".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.