LebedusorLebedos(Ancient Greek:Λέβεδος) was one of the twelve cities of theIonian League,located south ofSmyrna,Klazomenaiand neighboringTeosand beforeEphesus,which is further south. It was on the coast, ninetystadia(16.65 km) to the east of Cape Myonnesus, and 120 (22.2 km) west ofColophon.
Λέβεδος(in Ancient Greek) | |
 Lebedos was located on and around the Kısık Peninsula. | |
  Shown within Turkey | |
| Alternative name | Lebedos |
|---|---|
| Location | Ürkmez,İzmir Province,Turkey |
| Region | Ionia |
| Coordinates | 38°4′41″N26°57′53″E/ 38.07806°N 26.96472°E |
| Type | Settlement |
The city was built on and around a very small peninsula (175 m long, reaching a height of 61 m and with an isthmus 201 m wide), which is called the Kısık Peninsula today and depends on the coastal township ofÜrkmez,part ofSeferihisarlocality, a district center depending on the province seat ofİzmir.
History
editAccording toPausanias,the town was inhabited byCarianswhen the Ionian Greeks immigrated there under the guidance of Andræmon, a son of Codrus.Strabo,however, states that it was colonized by Andropompus (Ancient Greek:Ἀνδρόπομπος) and that it previously bore the name of Artis inLydia.Velleius Paterculuswrote that Greeks fromAthensestablished the city as well as other cities inIonia.[1] Lebedos became a flourishing city thanks to its commerce, and was famous for itsmineral springs,but it was one of the smaller cities of the Ionian League, handicapped by the limited space of its hinterland and a comparatively unsuitable port.
In theHellenisticage, around 304 BC,Antigonus I Monophthalmustried to join the city withTeos;however, this operation was incomplete and eventually annulled byLysimachus,who moved its population toEphesusin 292 BC. At some point, the namePtolemais(Πτολεμαΐς) was bestowed on the town, probably byPtolemy III Euergetes.[2]
The poetHoracein one of hisEpistles(1.11.7–8) describes it as very quiet: 'a small town more deserted thanGabiiorFidenae'. He imagines his friend Bullatius contemplating a life of retirement there.[3]
Under Roman rule, it flourished anew, becoming the meeting place of the actors of allIoniawhen these were temporarily exiled from Teos, and festivals were celebrated in honour ofDionysus.
Its scanty remains are near the modern town ofSeferihisar.Pieces of attic black-glazed pottery were uncovered in the area during an archeological survey carried out byKütahya Dumlupınar UniversityinTurkeybetween 2017 and 2019.[4]
Ecclesiastical history
editLebedus was anepiscopal see,suffragan ofEphesusuntil the 12th or 13th century.[5]Threebishopsare known: Cyriacus, who witnessed theSecond Council of Ephesusin 449; Julian, represented byhis metropolitanat theCouncil of Chalcedonin 451;[6]Theophanes or Thomas, who attended theSecond Council of Nicaeain 787.
Lebedus remains as aRoman Catholictitular see.[7]
Sources
edit- Bean, George E. (1967).Aegean Turkey: An archaeological guide.London: Ernest Benn. pp.115-122.ISBN978-0-510-03200-5.
References
edit
- ^Velleius Paterculus, Roman History, 1.4.3
- ^Getzel M. Cohen (1996).The Hellenistic Settlements in Europe, the Islands, and Asia Minor.University of California Press.pp. 188–191.ISBN0-520-08329-6.
- ^Wilkins, A. S. (1892/1964).Horace: Epistles,p. 162.
- ^Çevirici-Coşkun, Figen (May 2024)."Attic Black-Glazed Pottery from Lebedos Discovered During Archaeological Surveys from 2017 to 2019".DergiPark.
- ^
Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913)."Lebedus".Catholic Encyclopedia.New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^Richard Price, Michael Gaddis,The Acts of the Council of Chalcedon,Volume 1 (University of Liverpool Press, 2005), p.153.
- ^Annuario Pontificio 2013(Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013,ISBN978-88-209-9070-1), p. 914