Sigeion

Sigeion (Ancient Greek: Σίγειον, Sigeion; Latin: Sigeum) was an ancient Greek city in the north-west of the Troad region of Anatolia located at the mouth of the Scamander (the modern Karamenderes River). Sigeion commanded a ridge between the Aegean Sea and the Scamander which is now known as Yenişehir and is a part of the Çanakkale district in Çanakkale province, Turkey. The surrounding region was referred to as the Sigean Promonotory, which was frequently used as a point of reference by ancient geographers since it marked the mouth of the Hellespont. The outline of this promontory is no longer visible due to the alluvial activity of the Karamenderes which has filled in the embayment east of Yenişehir. The name 'Sigeion' means 'silent place' and is derived from Ancient Greek σιγή (sigē), 'silence'; in Classical Antiquity, the name was assumed to be antiphrastic, i.e. indicating a characteristic of the place contrary to reality, since the seas in this region are known for their fierce storms.

Sigeion
Σίγειον
Shown within Turkey
Alternative nameSigeum
LocationKumkale, Çanakkale Province, Turkey
RegionTroad
Coordinates39°59′24″N 26°10′50″E
TypeSettlement
History
BuilderColonists from Mytilene
Founded8th or 7th century BC
AbandonedBetween 168 BC and 23 AD
PeriodsArchaic Greece to Hellenistic period
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