Myrmekion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Myrmēkion (Greek: Μυρμηκιων, Russian: Мирмекий) was an ancient Greek colony in the Crimea, situated on the shore of the Cimmerian Bosporus, 4 kilometers to the north of Panticapaeum, the capital of the Bosporan Kingdom. It was founded in the mid-6th century BC as an independent polis, which soon became one of the richest in the region. In the 5th century BC, the town specialized in winemaking and minted its own coinage. It was surrounded by towered walls, measuring some 2.5 meters thick. Myrmekion fell into the hands of the Bosporan kings in the 4th century BC and gradually dwindled into insignificance in the shadow of their capital, Panticapaeum. The site was excavated by Polish archaeologists, led by Kazimierz Michałowski, in the 1950s.
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| North Pontic Greek colonies |
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|---|---|
| Tyras • Olbia • Borysthenes • Eupatoria • Chersonesos • Charax • Theodosia Kimmerikon • Nymphaion • Tyritake • Panticapaeum • Myrmekion Kepoi • Phanagoria • Hermonassa • Gorgippia • Pitiunt • Tanais |
