Map of the Roman Empire - Troas

Troas
N-5 on the Map

Ancient Troas (Alexandria Troas): Hellenistic-Roman city and port located on the Aegean Sea near the northern tip of Turkey's western coast. The port was strategic when travelling between Anatolia and Europe. Paul the apostle sailed for Europe for the first time from Alexandria Troas and he returned there on his journey from Europe. Troas is mentioned in the Bible in Acts 16:8, 11; 20:5, 6; 2 Cor. 2:12; 2 Tim. 4:13.

Acts 16:8 - And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.

Acts 16:11 -Therefore loosing from Troas, we came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next [day] to Neapolis;

Acts 20:5 -These going before tarried for us at Troas.

Acts 20:6 - And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.

2 Cor. 2:12 - Furthermore, when I came to Troas to [preach] Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord,

2 Tim. 4:13 - The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring [with thee], and the books, [but] especially the parchments.

Troas (Τρωάς, sc. χῶρα). Now Chan; the territory of Ilium or Troy, forming the northwestern part of Mysia. It was bounded on the west by the Aegaean Sea, from the Promontorium Lectum to the Promontorium Sigeum at the entrance of the Hellespont; on the northwest by the Hellespont, as far as the river Rhodius, below Abydus; on the northeast and east by the mountains which border the valley of the Rhodius, and extend from its sources southwards to the main ridge of Mount Ida, and on the south by the northern coast of the Gulf of Adramyttium along the southern foot of Ida; but on the northeast and east the boundary is sometimes extended so far as to include the whole coast of the Hellespont and part of the Propontis, and the country as far as the river Granicus, thus embracing the district of Dardania, and somewhat more. Strabo extends the boundary still further east, to the river Aesopus, and also south to the Ca�cus; but this clearly results from his including in the territory of Troy that of her neighbouring allies ( Il. ix. 321 Il., xxiv. 544; Herod.vii. 42; Strab. pp. 581-616). The Troad is for the most part mountainous, being intersected by Mount Ida and its branches: the largest plain is that in which Troy stood. The chief rivers were the Satno�s on the south, the Rhodius on the north, and the Scamander (Mendere) with its affluent the Simo�s (Dombrek) in the centre. - Harry Thurston Peck. Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities. New York. Harper and Brothers.

Alexandria Troas ("Alexandria of the Troad", modern Turkish: Eski Stambul) is an ancient Greek city situated on the Aegean Sea near the northern tip of Turkey's western coast, a little south of Tenedos (modern Bozcaada). It is located in the modern Turkish province of �anakkale. The site sprawls over an estimated 400 hectares (1,000 acres); among the few structures still extant today are a ruined bath and gymnasium complex and a recently uncovered stadium.

History of Troas. Hellenistic - According to Strabo, this site was first called Sigeia; around 306 BC Antigonus refounded the city as the much-expanded Antigonia Troas by settling the people of five other towns in Sigeia, including the once influential city of Neandria. In its early years, Troas was a port city that supplied the Dorians with resources and trade. The city was conquered by the Helladic people and was nearly destroyed. It was rebuilt early in the next century and the name was changed by Lysimachus to Alexandria Troas, in memory of Alexander III of Macedon (Pliny merely states that the name changed from Antigonia to Alexandria). As the chief port of north-west Asia Minor, the place prospered greatly in Roman times, becoming a "free and autonomous city" as early as 188 BC, and the existing remains sufficiently attest its former importance. In its heyday, the city may have had a population of about 100,000. Strabo mentions that a Roman colony was created at the location in the reign of Augustus, named Colonia Alexandria Augusta Troas (called simply Troas during this period). Augustus, Hadrian and the rich grammarian Herodes Atticus contributed greatly to its embellishment; the aqueduct still preserved is due to the latter. Constantine considered making Troas the capital of the Roman Empire.
Roman - In Roman times, it was a significant port for travelling between Anatolia and Europe. Paul of Tarsus sailed for Europe for the first time from Alexandria Troas and returned there from Europe (it was there that the episode of the raising of Eutychus later occurred). Ignatius of Antioch also paused at this city before continuing to his martyrdom at Rome. - Wikipedia

Troas, a region of Mysia, extending along the coast from Rhseteum prom, to Adramyttenus sin., and inland to the range of Ida. Peopled by Pelasgi, Treres, Aeoles, &c. - Classical Gazetteer

Troas
TROAS (Τρωάς, Τροίη, Τροία, or Ἰλιὰς γῆ), the territory ruled over by the ancient kings of Troy or Ilium, which retained its ancient and venerable name even at a time when the kingdom to which it had originally belonged had long ceased to exist. Homer himself nowhere describes, the extent of Troas or its frontiers, and even leaves us in the dark, as to how far the neighbouring allies of the Trojans, such as the Dardanians, who were governed by princes of their own, of the family of Priam, were true allies or subjects of the king of Ilium. In later times, Troas was a part of Mysia, comprising the coast district on the Aegean from Cape Lectum to the neighbourhood of Dardanus and Abydus on the Hellespont; while inland it extended about 8 geographical miles, that is, as far as Mount Ida, so as to embrace the south coast of Mysia opposite the island of Lesbos, together with the towns of Assus and Antandrus. (Hom. Il. 24.544; Hdt. 7.42.) Strabo, from his well-known inclination to magnify the empire of Troy, describes it as extending from the Aesepus to the Caicus, and his view is adopted by the Scholiast on Apollonius Rhodius (1.1115). In its [2.1234] proper and more limited sense, however, Troas was an undulating plain, traversed by the terminal branches of Ida running out in a north-western direction, and by the small rivers SATNIOIS, SCAMANDER, SIMOIS, and THYMBRIUS This plain gradually rises towards Mount Ida, and contained, at least in later times, several flourishing towns. In the Iliad we hear indeed of several towns, and Achilles boasts (Il. 9.328) of having destroyed eleven in the territory of Troy; but they can at best only have been very small places, perhaps only open villages. That Ilium itself must have been far superior in strength and population is evident from the whole course of events; it was protected by strong walls, and had its acropolis. [ILIUM]

The inhabitants of Troas, called Troes (Τρῶες), and by Roman prose-writers Trojani or Teucri, were in all probability a Pelasgian race, and seem to have consisted of two branches, one of which, the Teucri, had emigrated from Thrace, and become amalgamated with the Phrygian or native population of the country. Hence the Trojans are sometimes called Teucri and sometimes Phryges. (Hdt. 5.122, 7.43; Strab. i. p.62, xiii. p. 604; Verg. A. 1.38, 248, 2.252, 571, &c.) The poet of the Iliad in several points treats, the Trojans as inferior in civilisation to his own countrymen; but it is impossible to say whether in such cases he describes the real state of things, or whether ther he does so only from a natural partiality for his own countrymen.

According to the common legend, the kingdom of Troy was overturned at the capture and burning Ilium in B.C. 1184; but it is attested on pretty good authority that a Trojan state survived the catastrophe of its chief city, and that the kingdom was finally destroyed by an invasion of Phrygians who crossed over from Europe into Asia. (Xanthus, ap. Strab. xiv. p.680, xii. p. 572.) This fact is indirectly confirmed by the testimony of Homer himself, who makes Poseidon predict that the posterity of Aeneas should long continue to reign over the Trojans, after the race of Priam should be extinct. - Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) William Smith, LLD, Ed.

Read The Bible

Table of Contents

About

Welcome to Free Bible: Unearthing the Past, Illuminating the Present! Step into a world where ancient history and biblical narratives intertwine, inviting you to explore the rich tapestry of human civilization.

Discover the captivating stories of forgotten empires, delve into the customs and cultures of our ancestors, and witness the remarkable findings unearthed by dedicated archaeologists.

Immerse yourself in a treasure trove of knowledge, where the past comes alive and illuminates our understanding of the present.

Join us on this extraordinary journey through time, where curiosity is rewarded and ancient mysteries await your exploration.

Recent posts