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Rhizon

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Rhizonwas the capital of theIllyrian kingdomunder theArdiaei.During theRomanrule it was known asRhizinium.Rhizon is the oldest settlement in theBay of Kotorand the modern town ofRisan(modernMontenegro) stands near the old city.

Originally it was anIllyriansettlement that developed gradually and became thecapitalof the IllyrianArdiaeanKingdom underAgronandTeuta.[1]It was the last stronghold of queenTeutain thefirst Illyrian waragainst the Romans. It maintained its status as a significant regional settlement well into the Roman era.

Name

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Originally inIllyrian properterritory, the city is attested inAncient GreekasῬίζωνand inLatinasRisinium.The toponym has been compared withAlbanian:rrjedh,meaning 'flow', 'stream', deriving fromProto-Indo-European*(H)reǵ-'flow', whence in turn meaning 'river', 'stream', etc.[2]

History

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Rhizon (marked 1) was one of three Illyrian fortresses on the hills overlooking Bay of Kotor, and became the capital of the IllyrianArdiaeanKingdom underAgronandTeuta.

Herodian(2nd century A.D.) mentions thatRhizontakes its name fromRizon,son ofCadmusand brother ofIllyrius.[3]The earliest mention ofRhizondates back to the 4th century BCE in thePeriplus of Pseudo-Scylaxwho mentions it as a settlement of theEnchelei.It later developed as a settlement of another Illyrian tribe, theArdiaei.Rhizon had been the main fortress in theIllyrianstate underAgronwhereQueen Teutatook refuge during theIllyrian Wars.[3]During the short reign of the Illyrian Queen Teuta,Rhizonbecame the capital of her state.

During these periods a mint was established that issued several coinages:

  • autonomous coinages of the town, in bronze,
  • the royal coinage of kingBallaios,in silver and bronze,
  • most probably, the coinage labeled “Coinage from the Rhizonian Gulf”, which has been considered as the coinage of an alliance in which Rhizon played a part, in silver and bronze.

Thechronologyof thesecoinagesis still not defined with precision, primarily because the historical background of their issuance remains little known. There is hardly any mention in the literary sources of the town ofRhizon,and none of the king Ballaios. However, several features of these coinages - such as the characteristics of style, elements of inscription and iconography (especially the presence of the title “basileus”on the coinage ofBallaios,and the presence of a Macedonian shield on the “Coinage from the Rhizonian Gulf” ), metrology, choice of coined metals, etc. – point to the 3rd and 2nd centuries BCE as the general chronological framework for the activity of the Rhizonian mint and for the successive issuance of the coinages of different issuing authorities there. A 2010 excavation unearthed about 4656 coins from the mint of Ballaios, which confirmed the status of the city as that of his royal mint.[4]

Formerly theBay of Kotorwas known as Sinus Rhizonicus and Rhizonic Gulf (Ancient Greek:Ῥιζονικὸς κόλπος)[5]after the (Greek) name ofRhizon,the leading town in anticity of the bay.Rhizonhad also its own protector, a deity called Medaurus, who was depicted as carrying a lance and riding on horseback.[6]Prior to Roman control in the region, the degree ofHellenisticacculturation at Rhizon was very high.[7]

Roman roads in Montenegro, showing Rhizinium

InRomantimes,Rhiziniumis documented as an oppidum civium Romanorum. Two Roman routes led through theBay of Kotor.The most prosperous time for RomanRhiziniumcame during the 1st and 2nd centuries, when huge villas were made in the area and the city had 10,000 inhabitants. Five mosaics are the most valuable remains of that period - not only for Risan but also forMontenegro.[8]The best preserved one showsHypnos,the Greek deity of sleep. It is the only known image of this kind in theBalkans.The famousarcheologistSirArthur Evansled those initialexcavationsin 1885.

The protector-god of Rhizon/Risinium was the Illyrian war deity,Medaurus.Medaurus is mentioned in a dedication carved inLambaesis(north Africa) by a Romanlegatusnative of Risinium and more scarcely in two other inscriptions found in Risinium andSanta Maria di Leuca(Lecce).[9]The Lambaesis dedication also indicates that an equestrian statue of Medaurus had been erected there, likely the replica of a monumental statue located in Risinium.[10]Archeological research in Risinium in the 21st century suggests that the statue of Medaurus was set up on a base of at least 15x20m, and situated on theacropoliswhere it dominated the city.[11]

The invasions of theAvarsandSlavsleft the city deserted. The last reference of abishopin Risan dates back to 595.

Legacy

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On the Gradina hill, above the archeological site of Carine, a fortification is situated containing remains of an Illyrian acropolis.

References

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  1. ^Dyczek 2020,p. 423
  2. ^Savić & Ligorio 2022,p. 20.
  3. ^abŠašel Kos 1993,p. 122
  4. ^"The Risan coin hoard".Research Centre University of Warsaw.
  5. ^Strabo, Geography, §7.5.8
  6. ^Wilkes 1995,p. 247.
  7. ^Épire, Illyrie, Macédoine: mélanges offerts au professeur Pierre Cabanes by Danièle Berranger, Pierre Cabanes, Danièle Berranger-Auserve, page 130
  8. ^Video of beautiful Roman mosaics
  9. ^Dyczek et al. 2014,pp. 82–83.
  10. ^Dyczek et al. 2014,pp. 73–74.
  11. ^Dyczek et al. 2014,pp. 81.

Sources

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