Τέως(in Ancient Greek) | |
.jpg) Ruins of thetheatre in Teos | |
  Shown within Turkey | |
| Alternative name | Teo |
|---|---|
| Location | Sığacık,Izmir Province,Turkey |
| Region | Ionia |
| Coordinates | 38°10′38″N26°47′06″E / 38.17722°N 26.78500°E /38.17722; 26.78500 |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Periods | Archaic Greek toRoman Imperial |
| Cultures | Greek,Roman |
| Associated with | Andron,Anacreon,Antimachus,Apellicon,Hecataeus of Abdera,Nausiphanes,Protagoras,Scythinus |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Ruined |
Teos (Ancient Greek:Τέως) orTeo was anancient Greek city on the coast ofIonia, on a peninsula betweenChytrium andMyonnesus. It was founded byMinyans fromOrchomenus,Ionians andBoeotians, but the date of its foundation is unknown. Teos was one of the twelve cities which formed theIonian League. The city was situated on a low hillyisthmus. Its ruins are located to the south of the modern town of Sığacık in theSeferihisar district ofIzmir Province,Turkey.
Pausanias writes that the city was founded byMinyans fromOrchomenus under the leadership of Athamas, a descendant ofAthamas the son ofAeolus. Later on they were joined byIonians and more colonists fromAthens andBoeotia.[1] Because it was founded by Athamas,Anacreon also called it Athamantis (Ἀθαμαντίς).[2]
Teos was a flourishing seaport with two fine harbours untilCyrus the Great invadedLydia andIonia (c. 546 BC). The Teans found it prudent to retire overseas, to the newly founded colonies ofAbdera inThrace andPhanagoria on the Asian side of theCimmerian Bosporus. The port was revived byAntigonus Cyclops. During the times of the Roman emperors, the town was noted for its wine, atheatre and Temple ofDionysus. These are positioned near theacropolis, which is situated on a low hill and had fortifications by the 6th century. A shipwreck near Tektaş, a small rock outcrop near Teos harbour, dates from the Classical period (around the 6th to the 4th centuries BC) and implies trading connections by sea with the easternAegean Islands.
It was a member of theLydian group of the Ionian League, one of the four groups defined byHerodotus, based on the particular dialects of the cities.Vitruvius notesHermogenes of Priene as the architect of themonopteral temple ofDionysus at Teos.[3]
The modern village of Sığacık is situated close to the ruins of Teos. The interior of what was previously the city has now been intensively farmed, which makes it difficult to excavate the site. Through ploughing, pottery has been brought to the surface of the earth, which has been collected through archaeological survey.
An interesting rental agreement chiseled into stone was uncovered in 2016 in the ruins of Teos.[4][5]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857)."Teos".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
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