| Mysia | |
|---|---|
| Ancient Region of Anatolia | |
.jpg) Acropolis of Pergamon | |
| Location | North-westernAnatolia |
| Largest city | Pergamon |
| Inhabitants | Mysians |
| Language | Mysian |
| Achaemenidsatrapy | Phrygia |
| Roman province | Asia |
 | |
Mysia (UK/ˈmɪsiə/, US/ˈmɪʒə/ or/ˈmiːʒə/;Greek:Μυσία;Latin:Mysia;Turkish:Misya) was aregion in the northwest of ancient Asia Minor[1] (Anatolia, Asian part of modernTurkey). It was located on the south coast of theSea of Marmara. It was bounded byBithynia on the east,Phrygia on the southeast,Lydia on the south,Aeolis on the southwest,Troad on the west, and thePropontis on the north. In ancient times it was inhabited by theMysians,Phrygians,AeolianGreeks and other groups.
The precise limits of Mysia are difficult to assign. The Phrygian frontier was fluctuating, while in the northwest theTroad was only sometimes included in Mysia.[1] The northern portion was known as "Lesser Phrygia" or (Ancient Greek:μικρὰ Φρυγία,romanized: mikra Phrygia;Latin:Phrygia Minor), while the southern was called "Greater Phrygia" or "Pergamene Phrygia". Mysia was in later times also known asHellespontine Phrygia (Ancient Greek:Ἑλλησποντιακὴ Φρυγία,romanized: Hellespontiake Phrygia;Latin:Phrygia Hellespontica) or "Acquired Phrygia" (Ancient Greek:ἐπίκτητος Φρυγία,romanized: epiktetos Phrygia;Latin:Phrygia Epictetus), so named when the region was annexed to theAttalid kingdom.[2]
UnderAugustus, Mysia occupied the whole of the northwest corner of Asia Minor, between theHellespont and thePropontis to the north,Bithynia andPhrygia to the east,Lydia to the south, and theAegean Sea to the west.[3]
The chief physical features of Mysia are the twomountains—Mount Olympus at (7600 ft) in the north and Mount Temnus in the south, which for some distance separates Mysia fromLydia and afterwards prolonged through Mysia to the neighbourhood of the Gulf of Adramyttium. The major rivers in the northern part of the province are theMacestus and its tributary theRhyndacus, both of which rise inPhrygia and, after diverging widely through Mysia, unite their waters below the lake ofApolloniatis about 15 miles (24 km) from the Propontis. TheCaïcus in the south rises in Temnus, and from thence flows westward to theAegean Sea, passing within a few miles ofPergamon. In the northern portion of the province are two considerable lakes, Artynia or Apolloniatis (Abulliont Geul) and Aphnitis (Maniyas Geul), which discharge their waters into the Macestus from the east and west respectively.[1]
The most important cities were Pergamon in the valley of theCaïcus, andCyzicus on thePropontis. The whole sea-coast was studded with Greek towns, several of which were places of considerable importance; thus the northern portion includedParium,Lampsacus andAbydos, and the southernAssos,Adramyttium. Further south, on the Eleatic Gulf, wereElaea,Myrina andCyme.[1]
A minor episode in theTrojan War cycle inGreek mythology has the Greek fleet land at Mysia, mistaking it forTroy.Achilles wounds their king,Telephus, after he slays a Greek; Telephus later pleads with Achilles to heal the wound. This coastal region ruled by Telephus is alternatively named "Teuthrania" in Greek mythology, as it was previously ruled by KingTeuthras. In theIliad,Homer represents the Mysians as allies of Troy, with the Mysian forces led byEnnomus (a prophet) andChromius, sons ofArsinous. Homeric Mysia appears to have been much smaller in extent than historical Mysia, and did not extend north to the Hellespont or the Propontis.Homer does not mention any cities or landmarks in Mysia, and it is not clear exactly where Homeric Mysia was situated, although it was probably[original research?] located somewhere between theTroad (to the northwest of Mysia) and Lydia/Maeonia (to its south).
A number of Mysian inscriptions have survived in a dialect of thePhrygian language, written using a variant of thePhrygian alphabet. There are also a small number of references to aLutescan language indigenous to Mysia inAeolic Greek sources.[4]
Under the PersianAchaemenid Empire, the northwest corner of Asia Minor, still occupied by Phrygians but mainly byAeolians, was called "Phrygia Minor" – and by the Greeks "Hellespontos".
After Rome's defeat ofAntiochus the Great in theRoman-Syrian War of 192 to 188 BC, the area, which had been held by theDiadochSeleucid Empire, passed to Rome's ally, theAttalid kingdom, and, on the death of KingAttalus III in 133 BC, to Rome itself, which made it part of theprovince of Asia[1] and, later, a separate proconsularRoman province, called "Hellespontus".[3]
According to theActs of the Apostles,[5] the apostlesPaul,Silas andTimothy came to (or passed by)[6] Mysia during Paul's secondmissionary journey. The narrative suggests that they were uncertain where to travel during this part of the journey, being "forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word inAsia".[7]Shortly afterwards Paul had a vision of a "man of Macedonia" who invited the apostles to travel westwards toMacedonia.
The remains of severalRoman bridges can still be found:
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Hasluck, Frederick William (1911). "Mysia". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 19 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 115–116.
Media related toMysia at Wikimedia Commons
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| Iron Age | |
| Classical Age | |
