Sigeum
Sigeum is a historical town located in the Troad region of northwestern Asia Minor, strategically positioned near the entrance to the Hellespont (Dardanelles) and surrounded by fertile land. This advantageous location allowed Sigeum to control the vital grain route from the Euxine (Black Sea) to the Propontis (Sea of Marmara). Established as the first colony of the Athenians in the late seventh century BC, Sigeum became embroiled in conflicts, notably with Mytilene, which were ultimately resolved in favor of Athens. Over time, Athenian dominance was solidified, particularly under the leadership of Hegesistratus around 546 BC.
During the fifth century, Sigeum was part of the Delian League, receiving commendation from the Athenians for its contributions. The town later fell under the control of Lysimachus around 302 BC, although it faced destruction by the people of Ilium (Troy) in the second century AD. Notable archaeological evidence includes a guild of coppersmiths in Sigeum, indicating a thriving metalworking industry that utilized local resources. The history of Sigeum reflects the complexities of ancient colonization, trade, and warfare in the region.
Subject Terms
Sigeum
(near Yenişehir)
A town in the Troad (northwestern Asia Minor), located beside fertile land in a strategic position on the south side of the entry to the Hellespont (Dardanelles); the site controlled the grain route from the Euxine (Black) Sea and Propontis (Sea of Marmara). Sigeum was the first colony of the Athenians, who appear to have settled there at the end of the seventh century BC, under the leadership of Phrynon, an Olympian victor. This colonization involved prolonged warfare with Mytilene (Lesbos)—whose ruler Pittacus killed Phrynon in a duel—and, although the conflict was adjudicated in Athens' favor by the Corinthian autocrat Periander, it appears that firm Athenian control was only established by Hegesistratus, son of the `tyrant’ Pisistratus, probably c 546—by which time another Athenian, Miltiades the Elder, had also occupied the Thracian Chersonese (Gelibolu [Gallipoli] peninsula) across the strait.
After 510 Sigeum became the residence of Pisistratus' exiled son Hippias. During the fifth century it was a member of the Delian League under Athenian control, and in 451/450 its settlers were commended for their services by the Athenians, and promised protection against any enemy in Asia. The town was captured, despite resistance, by Alexander the Great's successor Lysimachus (c 302), whose capital Lysimachia had been founded on the neck of the Chersonese. There is inscriptional evidence for a guild of coppersmiths at Sigeum, working metal that was mined in the central Troad and the mountains north of Pergamum. The place was destroyed in the second century (?) by the people of Ilium (Troy).