Serraepolis
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Serraepolis or Serraipolis () was a town of
ancient Cilicia Cilicia () is a geographical region in southern Anatolia, extending inland from the northeastern coasts of the Mediterranean Sea. Cilicia has a population ranging over six million, concentrated mostly at the Cilician plain (). The region inclu ...
in
Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
on the lower course of river Pyramos. It was also known under the names Serretillis (Σερρέτιλλις), Ser(r)opolis, Serrai kome and Siris, as well as Kassipolis by Pliny. It was a
colony A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their ''metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often orga ...
established by
Siropaiones Siro-Paeonians or Siropaiones (Ancient Greek: Σιροπαίονες, ) were an ancient Paeonian tribe inhabiting the ancient city of Siris (present day Serres) and the Strymon plain. They were one of eight (Herodotus) or ten (Thucydides) tribes of ...
, a
Paeonian In antiquity, Paeonia or Paionia () was the land and kingdom of the Paeonians (or Paionians; ). The exact original boundaries of Paeonia, like the early history of its inhabitants, are obscure, but it is known that it roughly corresponds to m ...
tribe that was annexed by
Macedon Macedonia ( ; , ), also called Macedon ( ), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, which later became the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by the royal ...
whose
metropolis A metropolis () is a large city or conurbation which is a significant economic, political, and cultural area for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections, commerce, and communications. A big city b ...
was Siris (modern
Serres Serres ( ) is a city in Macedonia, Greece, capital of the Serres regional unit and second largest city in the region of Central Macedonia, after Thessaloniki. Serres is one of the administrative and economic centers of Northern Greece. The c ...
), and after which it was named. It was located 150 '' stadia'' from another Macedonian colony called Aegeae (modern
Yumurtalık Yumurtalık (), formerly called Aegeae, Ayas, Lyeys or Laiazzo, is a municipality and district of Adana Province, Turkey. Its area is 447 km2, and its population is 17,654 (2022). It is a Mediterranean port and resort town at a distance of ab ...
) and 250 ''stadia'' from
Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...
(modern
Antakya Antakya (), Turkish form of Antioch, is a municipality and the capital Districts of Turkey, district of Hatay Province, Turkey. Its area is . Prior to the devastating 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, 2023 earthquakes, its population was recorded ...
). Although the exact foundation time of the city is unknown, it would be safe to assume that it was either established by Paeonian refugees, forcibly resettled by the Persian general
Megabazus Megabazus (Old Persian: ''Bagavazdā'' or ''Bagabāzu'', ), son of Megabates, was a highly regarded Persian general under Darius, to whom he was a first-degree cousin. Most of the information about Megabazus comes from '' The Histories'' by H ...
in 486 B.C., or established during the
Hellenistic period In classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Greek history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the death of Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, which was followed by the ascendancy of the R ...
by colonists from Siris that followed
Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...
and the
Seleucids The Seleucid Empire ( ) was a Greek state in West Asia during the Hellenistic period. It was founded in 312 BC by the Macedonian general Seleucus I Nicator, following the division of the Macedonian Empire founded by Alexander the Great, ...
. In place of the ancient Greek city today lies the modern city Sirintilinin Çiftlik in southeastern
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
.


References

Greek colonies in Anatolia Former populated places in Cilicia Macedonian colonies Populated places in ancient Cilicia History of Adana Province {{Adana-geo-stub