Aenus (Thrace)
Encyclopedia
Aenus modern Enez
in Turkey
, was an ancient Greek
city on the southeastern coast of Thrace
. Formerly called Poltyobria (or Poltymbria), it was located near the mouth of the Hebrus River
, not far from the Melas Gulf (modern Gulf of Saros), which is formed by the Thracian Chersonesus to the east. The city was said to be founded (or at least settled) by Aeolian
migrants from Lesbos
.
Aenus is mentioned by several ancient authors (e.g., Homer, Strabo, Apollodorus, Thucydides), and makes several appearances in Greek mythology
. Its mythical and eponymous founder was said to be Aeneus
, a son of the god Apollo
and father of Cyzicus
. Another mythical ruler, named Poltys
, son of Poseidon
, entertained Heracles
when he came to Aenus. On that occasion, Heracles slew Poltys' insolent brother Sarpedon
on the beach of Aenus. According to Strabo, Sarpedon is the name of the coastline near Aenus, so both Poltys and Sarpedon would appear to be eponyms.
In the Iliad
, Homer
mentions that the leaders of Troy's Thracian
allies, Acamas
and Peiros
, came from Aenus.
Enez
Enez is a district of Edirne Province, Turkey, as well as the name of the center-town of the district. Its ancient name was Aenus. The mayor is Ahmet Çayır . The population is 3,826 as of 2010....
in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, was an ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
city on the southeastern coast of Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
. Formerly called Poltyobria (or Poltymbria), it was located near the mouth of the Hebrus River
Maritsa
The Maritsa or Evros , ) is, with a length of 480 km, the longest river that runs solely in the interior of the Balkans. It has its origin in the Rila Mountains in Western Bulgaria, flowing southeast between the Balkan and Rhodope Mountains, past Plovdiv and Parvomay to Edirne, Turkey...
, not far from the Melas Gulf (modern Gulf of Saros), which is formed by the Thracian Chersonesus to the east. The city was said to be founded (or at least settled) by Aeolian
Aeolians
The Aeolians were one of the four major ancient Greek tribes comprising Ancient Greeks. Their name derives from Aeolus, the mythical ancestor of the Aeolic branch and son of Hellen, the mythical patriarch of the Greek nation...
migrants from Lesbos
Lesbos Island
Lesbos is a Greek island located in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It has an area of with 320 kilometres of coastline, making it the third largest Greek island. It is separated from Turkey by the narrow Mytilini Strait....
.
Aenus is mentioned by several ancient authors (e.g., Homer, Strabo, Apollodorus, Thucydides), and makes several appearances in Greek mythology
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
. Its mythical and eponymous founder was said to be Aeneus
Aeneus (of Aenus)
In Greek mythology, Aeneus was the legendary founder of the ancient Thracian city of Aenus . He was the father of Cyzicus. He is sometimes confused with the famous legendary hero Aeneas, due solely to the similarity in spelling. Aeneas's parentage has been given as Apollo and Stilbe, daughter of...
, a son of the god Apollo
Apollo
Apollo is one of the most important and complex of the Olympian deities in Greek and Roman mythology...
and father of Cyzicus
Cyzicus (Greek mythology)
King Cyzicus ruled over the Dolionians, a tribe that inhabited the southern shore of the Propontis. He gave his name to a city of the same name, Cyzicus, his capital. King Cyzicus welcomed the Argonauts on their journey to Colchis; but after their departure, a storm drove them back to the...
. Another mythical ruler, named Poltys
Poltys
Poltys is a mythical king and eponym of the Thracian city of Poltyobria , featured in Apollodorus's account of the story of the hero Heracles . Poltys and his brother Sarpedon are given as sons of the sea-god Poseidon...
, son of Poseidon
Poseidon
Poseidon was the god of the sea, and, as "Earth-Shaker," of the earthquakes in Greek mythology. The name of the sea-god Nethuns in Etruscan was adopted in Latin for Neptune in Roman mythology: both were sea gods analogous to Poseidon...
, entertained Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
when he came to Aenus. On that occasion, Heracles slew Poltys' insolent brother Sarpedon
Sarpedon
In Greek mythology, Sarpedon referred to at least three different people.-Son of Zeus and Europa:The first Sarpedon was a son of Zeus and Europa, and brother to Minos and Rhadamanthys. He was raised by the king Asterion and then, banished by Minos, his rival in love for the young Miletus, he...
on the beach of Aenus. According to Strabo, Sarpedon is the name of the coastline near Aenus, so both Poltys and Sarpedon would appear to be eponyms.
In the Iliad
Iliad
The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...
, Homer
Homer
In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...
mentions that the leaders of Troy's Thracian
Thracians
The ancient Thracians were a group of Indo-European tribes inhabiting areas including Thrace in Southeastern Europe. They spoke the Thracian language – a scarcely attested branch of the Indo-European language family...
allies, Acamas
Acamas
Acamas was a name attributed to several characters in Greek mythology. The following three all fought in the Trojan War, and only the first was not mentioned by Homer....
and Peiros
Peiros
The Peiros is a river in the central and the northwestern parts of the Achaea prefecture. The river can also be known locally with numerous names including Kamenitsa , Mellas or Melas , Pieros , Nezeritiko , Prevedos and Acheloos .-Places within the...
, came from Aenus.