Magnesia Beside Sipylus
Magnesia Beside Sipylus is an ancient city located in the fertile valley of the river Hermus, at the foot of Mount Sipylus in what is now modern-day Turkey. Historically significant, the city was founded by the Aeolian Magnetes from Thessaly and served as a vital intersection for trade routes leading to Smyrna (Izmir). The site is steeped in myth, notably associated with the figure of Niobe, who, according to legend, was transformed into stone after the tragic death of her children at the hands of Apollo and Artemis.
The city is renowned for its historical events, including the pivotal battle in 190 BC where Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus defeated the Seleucid king Antiochus III the Great, leading to significant territorial changes in Asia Minor. Under subsequent Pergamene and Roman rule, Magnesia flourished, becoming a free community noted for its coinage that featured prominent figures like Marcus Tullius Cicero. Despite suffering from a devastating earthquake in AD 17, the city received imperial aid and continued to celebrate its identity through local games and commemorative coinage.
Additionally, the area is rich in cultural heritage, with references by ancient historian Pausanias to local monuments and myths, including the Rock of Niobe, believed to represent her petrified form. This blend of mythology, history, and cultural significance makes Magnesia Beside Sipylus an intriguing subject for those interested in ancient civilizations and their legacies.
Subject Terms
Magnesia Beside Sipylus
(Manisa)
A city of Lydia (inland western Asia Minor) lying in the fertile valley of the river Hermus (Gediz), beneath Mount Sipylus (Manisa Daǧı), the slopes of which, according to mythology, Niobe after the slaying of her children by Apollo and Artemis was turned into a stone. The place was founded at an early date by the Aeolian Magnetes of eastern Thessaly, at a point where the roads from the interior of the peninsula and from the Propontis (Sea of Marmara) converge on the way to Smyrna (İzmir).
Magnesia Beside Sipylus was the scene of a decisive battle of 190 BC, in which Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus defeated the Seleucid monarch Antiochus III the Great, who was subsequently, under the Treaty of Apamea (188), compelled to evacuate the whole of Asia Minor. After a period of Pergamene (Attalid) rule, Magnesia passed into the Roman province of Asia (133), sided with Rome in its wars with Mithridates VI of Pontus, and was subsequently granted the status of a free community. It coined c 30 with the portrait of the proconsul Marcus Tullius Cicero, the orator's son. In AD 17 the city suffered severe damage from an earthquake, but received imperial relief, celebrating Tiberius on its coinage as `founder.’ An extensive range of coinage, extending to the time of Gallienus (253–68), displays personifications of Magnesia, Hermus and Sipylus and references to local games described as Hadriana Antoneia Enmonideia (the meaning of which is unknown); while an issue of Valerian (253–60) records the city's `alliance’ with Smyrna.
Pausanias came from this area, and refers extensively to local buildings and traditions. He also alludes to monuments bearing the mythological names of the Throne of Pelops and Tomb of Tantalus, which have been tentatively identified a few miles from the city, the former being a large rock cutting in the form of an altar or seat. The `Rock of Niobe,’ in the Çaybaşı district, was believed to be her petrified figure.