Μαγνησία ἡ πρὸς Μαιάνδρῳ | |
 The Propylaea of Magnesia on the Maeander | |
  Shown within Turkey  Magnesia on the Maeander (Aegean Sea) | |
| Location | Tekin, Aydın Province, Turkey |
|---|---|
| Region | Ionia |
| Coordinates | 37°51′10″N 27°31′38″E / 37.85278°N 27.52722°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Builder | Magnetian and Cretan settlers |
| Cultures | Greek, Roman |
| Associated with | Bathycles of Magnesia, Themistocles, Saint Lazarus of Magnesia |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1891–1893, 1984–present |
| Archaeologists | Carl Humann, Orhan Bingöl |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Ownership | Public |
| Public access | Yes |
Magnesia or Magnesia on the Maeander (Ancient Greek: Μαγνησία ἡ πρὸς Μαιάνδρῳ or Μαγνησία ἡ ἐπὶ Μαιάνδρῳ; Latin: Magnesia ad Maeandrum) was an ancient Greek city in Ionia, considerable in size, at an important location commercially and strategically in the triangle of Priene, Ephesus and Tralles. The city was named Magnesia, after the Magnetes from Thessaly who settled the area along with some Cretans. It was later called "on the Meander" to distinguish it from the nearby Lydian city Magnesia ad Sipylum. It was earlier the site of Leucophrys mentioned by several ancient writers.[1]
The territory around Magnesia was extremely fertile, and produced excellent wine, figs, and cucumbers.[2] It was built on the slope of Mount Thorax,[3] on the banks of the small river Lethacus, a tributary of the Maeander river upstream from Ephesus. It was 15 miles from the city of Miletus.[4][5] The ruins of the city are located west of the modern village Tekin in the Germencik district of Aydın Province, Turkey.
Magnesia lay within Ionia, but because it had been settled by Aeolians from Greece, was not accepted into the Ionian League. Magnesia may have been ruled for a time by the Lydians,[6] and was for some time under the control of the Persians and subject to Cimmerian raids. In later years, Magnesia supported the Romans during the Second Mithridatic War.[7][8]
- ^ Lund University. Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire.
- ^ Athen. i. p. 29, ii. p. 59, iii. p. 78.
- ^ John Pinkerton (1811). A general collection of ... voyages and travels, digested by J. Pinkerton. pp. 663–.
- ^ Strabo xiv. pp. 636, 647; Plin. v. 31.
- ^ image showing the location of Magnesia Archived 2011-09-29 at the Wayback Machine (in Asia Minor).
- ^ There are references to its capture by King Gyges, however this may refer to the original conquering of Magnesia ad Sipylum, long a Lydian city. See for instance [1].
- ^ Thomas Allom; Robert Walsh; John Chippendall Montesquieu Bellew; Mark Wilson (2006). Thomas Allom's Constantinople and the Scenery of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor. Gorgias Press. pp. 210–. ISBN 978-1-59333-139-9.
- ^ Handbook for Travellers in Turkey in Asia: Including Constantinople, the Bosphorus, Plain of Troy, Isles of Cyprus, Rhodes, &c..., with General Hints for Travellers in Turkey, Vocabularies &c. J. Murray. 1878. pp. 290–.