Apollonos Hieron Explained

Apollonos Hieron
Coordinates:	38.045°N 28.8306°W
Map Type:	Turkey#West Asia
Relief:	yes
Map Dot Label:	Apollonos Hieron
Type:	City
Location:	Turkey

Apollonos Hieron (Greek, Modern (1453-);: Ἀπόλλωνος ἱερόν, "Temple of Apollo")^[1] was an ancient city of Lydia.

Location

It was located about 300 stadia from Pergamon on a hill,^[2] but its exact location is unknown.^[3]

The inhabitants of the village of Buldan hold that their town is the location^[4] of Apollonos Hieron. However, Buldan is known to be the site of Tripolis, and both cities sent separate delegates to the Council of Chalcedon. Ramsay^[5] believed that both cities were adjacent to each other and this may explain why Pliny thought the name of Tripolis had previously been Apollonos. He more generally puts it in the Plain of Philadelphia, in the Lykos River Valley.^[6]

Apollonos Hieron was known for its temple,^{[7] [8]} and is mentioned by Pliny,^{[9] [10]} who describes it as small. It is possibly mentioned by Aristides^[11] and Strabo.^[12] Apollonos Hieron minted its own coins,^{[13] [14] [15]} of which there are today many examples.

Bishopric

Apollonos Hieron was also the seat of a bishopric^[16] and remains a titular see in the Roman Catholic Church.^[17] Bishop Leucius of Apollonos Hieron signed at the Council of Chalcedon.^[18]

Notes and References

1. https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0064:entry=apollonos-hieron-geo APOLLONOS HIERON
2. [John Anthony Cramer]
3. T. Drew Bear, Apollonos Hieron.
4. http://www.buldan.gov.tr/default_b0.aspx?content=186 History of our town, Buldan
5. Sir William Mitchell Ramsay, The Cities and Bishoprics of Phrygia: Being an Essay of the Local History of Phrygia from the Earliest Times to the Turkish Conquest, Volume 2 (Clarendon Press, 1897) p178-179.
6. W. M. Ramsay, The Historical Geography of Asia Minor p124.
7. Alexander MacBean, Samuel Johnson,A Dictionary of Ancient Geography: Explaining the Local Appellations in Sacred, Grecian, and Roman History (G. Robinson, 1773) pA-P.
8. John Anthony Cramer, A geographical and historical description of Asia Minor, Volume 1 (The University Press, 1832) p 454.
9. Pliny (5.29).
10. Alexander MacBean, Samuel Johnson,A Dictionary of Ancient Geography: Explaining the Local Appellations in Sacred, Grecian, and Roman History (G. Robinson, 1773) pA-P.
11. Aristides, 1.
12. [John Anthony Cramer]
13. http://www.wildwinds.com/coins/greece/lydia/apollonoshieron/i.html Ancient Coinage of Lydia, Apollonoshieron
14. http://artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/102086 Coin of Apollonos Hieron
15. [W. M. Ramsay]
16. [Hierocles (author of Synecdemus)|Hierocles, Synecdemus]
17. http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/d3a49.html Apollonos-Hieron (Titular See)
18. Richard Price, Michael Gaddis, The Acts of the Council of Chalcedon, Volume 1(Liverpool University Press, 2005) p104.