DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4692#0020
GRYNIUM—MYRINA- CYME. 11
GRYNIUM.
The town of Grynium, or Grynia, was at first founded on an island, which afterwards became united
to the continent. It was celebrated for a temple to Apollo, built of white marble, which enjoyed the
privilege of having an oracle, as did most of the sanctuaries of this god. The Temple of Apollo Grynreus
was celebrated throughout all the Greek world. Reference is made to'it by Virgil in two different passages.
The town of Grynium belonged to the inhabitants of Myrina. In the time of Pliny it was already a desert.
Xenophon informs us that the king of Persia, Artaxerxes, made a present of these two towns to the
Erythraean Gongylus, who had been banished from his country for having favoured the interests of the
king of Persia. Gongylus was then master of Pergamus. Grynium was taken by Parmenio, and from that
time escaped the domination of the Persians.
The ruins of this town have completely disappeared from the surface of the ground; but some years ago
some Greeks from Temnos, who were about to build a church, dug on the foundations of the temple, and
found some great blocks of white marble, which were used in the new building.
The site of Grynium is now waste land, and without name. It is situated on the direct route from
Pergamus to Smyrna. The distances are given in the preceding table. If we may rely upon a note inserted
in the French translation of Strabo, the ruins of the temple were visible at the commencement of the last
century. An inscription copied from the door is thus rendered:—"To Apollo Eatidicus, Phiketerus, son of
Attalus." This agrees with the facts stated in Herodotus, that the ancient temples of Asia were burnt by
Xerxes. We find there but very few temples anterior to the time of Alexander. The Temple of Assos is
an exception, because that town always remained in the possession of the Persians.
MYRINA.
The maritime town Myrina had a port and an arsenal, of which the vestiges have disappeared under
the alluvial soil. This town, according to Mela, was founded by Myrinus, the chief of the colony who
arrived on this coast. Strabo, more attached to the Homeric traditions, pretends that it was founded by the
Amazon Myrina, who was buried in the plains of Troy. It took the name of Sebastopolis, without doubt
because it was rebuilt by the liberality of Tiberius, after the great earthquake which ravaged twelve towns
of Asia, and principally those of iEolia. It has been remarked that this name has not been perpetuated on
any coin. Not far from Myrina there is another anchorage called Portus Archivorum, near which is an altar
of twelve gods.
Peutinger's table indicates twelve miles as the distance between these two towns, which agrees with the
distance given by Strabo.
CYME.
According to Strabo and Mela, the name of Cyme was given to the town by an Amazon, as was said
to be the case with Ephesus, Myrina, and Smyrna. Cyme was founded twenty years after the iEolians were
established at Lesbos, and eighteen years before Smyrna.
The Lydian Pactyas, being pursued by the satrap Mazares after the taking of Sardis, sought refuge at
Cyme. Mazares demanded that the fugitive should be given up to him; but, after having consulted the
oracle of Branchida?, the inhabitants refused to give up their guest, and afforded him facilities to cross over
to Mytilene, and thence to Chios. In the latter island he was seized by the Persians, being dragged from
the asylum of the Temple of Minerva Polias.
In the time of Darius, Cyme wras governed by satraps. It was in its harbour that the remains of
Xerxes' fleet took refuge after the battle of Salamis. After passing under the dominion of the kings of Syria
and those of Pergamus, it submitted to the Roman government, and at the division of provinces made by
Diocletian it was comprehended in that of which Ephesus was the metropolis. Temples, a gymnasium,
and porticos are mentioned in the inscriptions found upon the site, but no traces of this building are now
to be seen.
In the 5th century it had the rank and title of an episcopal town. Maximus, its bishop, assisted at
the Council of Ephesus. The vicinity of Phocaea Nuova, built by the Genoese, was as fatal to Cyme as the
sand which blocked up its port. Still we know that Cyme enjoyed a certain degree of commercial prosperity
GRYNIUM.
The town of Grynium, or Grynia, was at first founded on an island, which afterwards became united
to the continent. It was celebrated for a temple to Apollo, built of white marble, which enjoyed the
privilege of having an oracle, as did most of the sanctuaries of this god. The Temple of Apollo Grynreus
was celebrated throughout all the Greek world. Reference is made to'it by Virgil in two different passages.
The town of Grynium belonged to the inhabitants of Myrina. In the time of Pliny it was already a desert.
Xenophon informs us that the king of Persia, Artaxerxes, made a present of these two towns to the
Erythraean Gongylus, who had been banished from his country for having favoured the interests of the
king of Persia. Gongylus was then master of Pergamus. Grynium was taken by Parmenio, and from that
time escaped the domination of the Persians.
The ruins of this town have completely disappeared from the surface of the ground; but some years ago
some Greeks from Temnos, who were about to build a church, dug on the foundations of the temple, and
found some great blocks of white marble, which were used in the new building.
The site of Grynium is now waste land, and without name. It is situated on the direct route from
Pergamus to Smyrna. The distances are given in the preceding table. If we may rely upon a note inserted
in the French translation of Strabo, the ruins of the temple were visible at the commencement of the last
century. An inscription copied from the door is thus rendered:—"To Apollo Eatidicus, Phiketerus, son of
Attalus." This agrees with the facts stated in Herodotus, that the ancient temples of Asia were burnt by
Xerxes. We find there but very few temples anterior to the time of Alexander. The Temple of Assos is
an exception, because that town always remained in the possession of the Persians.
MYRINA.
The maritime town Myrina had a port and an arsenal, of which the vestiges have disappeared under
the alluvial soil. This town, according to Mela, was founded by Myrinus, the chief of the colony who
arrived on this coast. Strabo, more attached to the Homeric traditions, pretends that it was founded by the
Amazon Myrina, who was buried in the plains of Troy. It took the name of Sebastopolis, without doubt
because it was rebuilt by the liberality of Tiberius, after the great earthquake which ravaged twelve towns
of Asia, and principally those of iEolia. It has been remarked that this name has not been perpetuated on
any coin. Not far from Myrina there is another anchorage called Portus Archivorum, near which is an altar
of twelve gods.
Peutinger's table indicates twelve miles as the distance between these two towns, which agrees with the
distance given by Strabo.
CYME.
According to Strabo and Mela, the name of Cyme was given to the town by an Amazon, as was said
to be the case with Ephesus, Myrina, and Smyrna. Cyme was founded twenty years after the iEolians were
established at Lesbos, and eighteen years before Smyrna.
The Lydian Pactyas, being pursued by the satrap Mazares after the taking of Sardis, sought refuge at
Cyme. Mazares demanded that the fugitive should be given up to him; but, after having consulted the
oracle of Branchida?, the inhabitants refused to give up their guest, and afforded him facilities to cross over
to Mytilene, and thence to Chios. In the latter island he was seized by the Persians, being dragged from
the asylum of the Temple of Minerva Polias.
In the time of Darius, Cyme wras governed by satraps. It was in its harbour that the remains of
Xerxes' fleet took refuge after the battle of Salamis. After passing under the dominion of the kings of Syria
and those of Pergamus, it submitted to the Roman government, and at the division of provinces made by
Diocletian it was comprehended in that of which Ephesus was the metropolis. Temples, a gymnasium,
and porticos are mentioned in the inscriptions found upon the site, but no traces of this building are now
to be seen.
In the 5th century it had the rank and title of an episcopal town. Maximus, its bishop, assisted at
the Council of Ephesus. The vicinity of Phocaea Nuova, built by the Genoese, was as fatal to Cyme as the
sand which blocked up its port. Still we know that Cyme enjoyed a certain degree of commercial prosperity