Photo Session dedicated to 2500 years ΑΓΧΙΑΛΟΣ.
August 1st 2015 -2500 Αγχίαλος
For first time at the Black sea seaside (the old Εύξεινος Πόντος ) Association for history reconstruction-Scythia Minor in co-operation with Pomorie Museum of History participate in photo session dedicated to the new Hellenic polis foundation in 5th century BC.
Host Municipality of Pomorie.
2500 because what we found out is that in 430 BC Scylax of Caryanda pointed Anchialos as on of the many Hellenic colonies on the Pontos seaside.
Αγχίαλος - Ancient Greek colony between Dorians Messembria (Nesebar) and Ionians Apollonia. It was founded between 5th and 4th century BC. as a colony (matroneum) of Apollonia (today Sozopol).
Pliny the Elder informs us that there were older town named MESA, which exist before the Greeks to found their colony.
Archeological excavation found temples of Egyptian gods Osiris and Isis dated to II C. BC.
The Different from our first Hellenic reenactment participation from 2013 and this one in Pomorie is this time we concentrate our attention over the Classical Greek Historian Period and No Hellenistic Period armor.
About the Apollonia Magna in short:
The original name of the city is attested as Antheia (Άνθεια in Greek) but was soon renamed to Apollonia (Απολλώνία). The current town was founded in the 7th century BC by Greek colonists from Miletus which found New Polis.
Written antiquity sources pointed approximately 611-610 BC as the dates which historian has information about the foundation of Apollonia. One of the source is the Scymnus of Chios Σκύμνος ὁ Xῖος 185 BC wikipedia.org
According this author Apollonia Pontica has been founded 50 years before birth of the famous Persian king Cyrus the Great.
But at the same time another writer from antiquity 3rd-century Roman rhetorician Aelian wikipedia.org
depicts him as leader (an Oikos) of of the Milesian colony to Apollonia on the Pontus Euxinus (Black Sea) coast Anaximander Ἀναξίμανδρος Anaximandros 610 – c. 546.
But the calculation shows that if Anaximander was born in 610 he was just a small baby at that time, not an Oikos of the New Greek polis on the Pontus Euxinus!
The Constitution of the Athenians (Ἀθηναίων πολιτεία ) Athenaion Politeia of Aristotle explain how important it is the main rule to be follow to the letter when new Greek polis is about to be founded and more especially, the new colonizers to be compound of citizens from one and the same Magna Mater polis.
The Great Philosopher Aristotle inform us that since the process of Apollonia Pontica creation this main rule haven’t been kept and very serious civilian disturbance becomes in the new polis soon after it’s foundation.
Actually some historian sources pointed that except the Miletus citizens; the new polis has been populated by Phocaean Φώκαια colonists.
Pythia the Oracle of Delphi required not less then 800 new colonizers to found of the new polis. But because of some reasons political or populations, this quota couldn’t be reach by the Miletus citizens and some recruitment had to be done by Phocaeans.
If we take in to account that the new colonizers were not more then 800 to 1000 we can guess that there were not more then 300 soldiers in disposals of the new polis. About no more then 100 of them experienced professional hoplites and another 200 men capable to carry arms.
Very soon town established itself as a trade and naval centre in the following centuries. It kept strong political and trade relations with the cities of Ancient Greece – Miletus, Athens, Corinth, Heraclea Pontica and many of Hellenik islands.
We can suggest that it could be like this the main group of colonist which helps in Αγχίαλος foundation came after the defeated of the Ionian Revolt in 494 BC by the Persian army. Miletus the Magna Mater of Apollonia was then, captured, and very big part of its population leave the polis running away from the Persian yoke.
In 499 BC Aristagoras chose to incite the whole of Ionia into rebellion against the Persian king Darius the Great.
In 498 BC, supported by troops from Athens and Eretria, the Ionians marched on, captured, and burnt Sardis. By 494 BC the Persian army and navy had regrouped, and they made straight for the epicentre of the rebellion at Miletus.
Miletus was then besieged, captured, and its population was brought under Persian rule.
The Ionian Revolt constituted the first major conflict between Greece and the Persian Empire, and as such represents the first phase of the Greco-Persian Wars. Although Asia Minor had been brought back into the Persian fold, Darius vowed to punish Athens and Eretria for their support of the revolt.
Doctor Elena Stoynova, a musician by profession and a musicologist for 17 years. She is working on the problems of the ancient Thracian and ancient Greek music of the Archaic and Classical Greek historian period VIII – IV century B.C.
She plays wonderful musical lection in Pomorie Museum of History about her work and study in theory and practice about the musical instruments sounded in the territory of ancient Balkans, the Aegean, Asia Minor in antiquity.
In cooperation with Association for history reconstruction-Scythia Minor participate in reenactment event dedicated to the new Hellenic polis foundation in 5th century BC.
Doctor Elena Stoynova website: elenikitar.eu