Troezen
Troezen, a city located in the southeastern Argolid region of Greece, is steeped in rich history and mythology. Nestled on the northern slope of Mount Phorbantion, it was historically known as Posidonia. In Greek mythology, Troezen is significant as the birthplace of the hero Theseus and the site of notable events, including the tragic death of Hippolytus and the purification of Orestes. Although Troezen's historical influence was secondary compared to other Greek city-states, it played an important role in ancient maritime activities and political alliances, particularly through its connections with Sparta and participation in the Peloponnesian War.
The city began minting its own coins in the fifth century BC, reflecting its economic activities and local myths, including depictions of gods and heroes. Noteworthy archaeological remnants include the sanctuary of Hippolytus and an Asclepeion, which highlight the area's cultural and religious significance. Troezen's history also encompasses periods of domination by various powers, including the Macedonian kings and later the Achaean League. Today, the site remains a point of interest for those exploring the interplay of mythology, history, and archaeology in ancient Greece.
Troezen
Troizen
A city in the southeastern part of the Argolid (Peloponnese, southern Greece), on the north slope of Mount Phorbantion (Aderes). Formerly, it was said, known as Posidonia, Troezen figured in Greek mythology as the place where Poseidon—who contended with Athena for its land—caused the horses of Theseus' son Hippolytus to take fright and drag their master to death; and it was also the alleged site of Orestes' purification, after he had killed his mother Clytaemnestra (Pausanias was shown the stone on which this rite took place) and had been freed from the Erinyes (Furies) by the verdict of the Athenian Areopagus. Furthermore, Troezen was alleged to have been the birthplace of the Athenian hero Theseus.
In Greek history, the role of the place—although not altogether unimportant, owing to its geographical position—was always secondary. Founded in an ancient habitation area, Troezen is described in the Iliad as part of the kingdom of Diomedes based on Argos, though it subsequently became independent enough to gain control of the adjoining islands of Calauria and Hydra, to colonize Halicarnassus (Bodrum) in Caria (southwestern Asia Minor), and to play a part in the settlement of Sybaris (Sibari) in south Italy (c 720). Troezen began to issue its own coins in the fifth century, and became a member of Sparta's Peloponnesian League. In 480 it joined other Greek cities that resisted the invasion by the Persians under Xerxes I, and when Xerxes occupied Athens, the Troezenians gave hospitality to its refugees, mindful of their joint mythological traditions. Reference to these events appears on an inscription of the third century professing to describe Themistocles' evacuation plan, although its accuracy is seriously disputed.
In their bid to establish naval supremacy against the Peloponnesian states, the Athenians gained the adherence of Troezen in 457/5, which forfeited its support under the Thirty Years' Treaty (446/5). In 435 its people promised aid to Corinth against Athens' ally Corcyra, and during the Peloponnesian War (431–404) continued to side with Corinth and Sparta. After the defeat of the Greek states by Philip II of Macedonia at Chaeronea (338) Troezen fell briefly under the domination of a local autocrat (`tyrant’) Athenogenes. Subsequently, the city belonged to the Macedonian kings Demetrius I Poliorcetes and his son Antigonus II Gonatas (287–239), who lost it to Pyrrhus of Epirus in 272. In 243 Aratus acquired Troezen for the Achaean League, but the place fell to the Spartan King Cleomenes III in 225.
Later it was granted a treaty relationship with Rome, and was described by Pausanias as a very flourishing town. During the later second and third centuries AD its mint resumed coinage, depicting a rich variety of local myths. The designs on these pieces include a statue of Athena Sthenias on the acropolis, and her archaic statue by Callon of Aegina, described by Pausanias. Depictions of Hippolytus, who was said to have founded the temple of Artemis, figure prominently on the issues; and traces of his sanctuary (of the fourth century BC) have been identified on the ground; and so have the remains of a large and complex Asclepieum of slightly later date. Sections of an encircling wall, and of another wall separating the citadel from the habitation area—and paid for, according to Pausanias, by contributions from the citizens—can also be seen. He also refers to an oracular shrine of Apollo Thearios and Artemis Lycia in the agora, and records a precinct of Demeter outside the city (near the modern Damala). A coin of Septimius Severus (AD 193–211) shows the `fountain of Heracles,’ consisting of a figure of a lion from whose mouth water pours down into an elaborate basin.