Iasus (Caria)

Iasus or Iassus (Greek: Iασoς or Iασσoς) was a town of Caria, situated on a small island close to the north coast of the Iasian bay, which derives its name from Iasus. The town is said to have been founded at an unknown period by Argive colonists; but as they had sustained severe losses in a war with the native Carians, they invited the son of Neleus, who had previously founded Miletus, to come to their assistance. The town appears on that occasion to have received additional settlers. [Polybius. "Historiae", [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plb.+16.12 xvi. 12] .] The town, which appears to have occupied the whole of the little island, had only ten stadia in circumference; but it nevertheless acquired great wealth [Thucydides. "History of the Peloponnesian War", viii. 28.] , from its fisheries and trade in fish. [Strabo, "Geographia", xiv.] After the Sicilian expedition of the Athenians, during the Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC), Iasus was attacked by the Spartans and their allies; it was governed at the time by Amorges, a Persian chief, who had revolted from Darius II. It was taken by the Spartans, who captured Amorges, and delivered him up to Tissaphernes. The town itself was destroyed on that occasion; but must have been rebuilt, for we afterwards find it besieged by Philip V, king of Macedon, who, however, was compelled by the Romans to restore it to Ptolemy V of Egypt. [Polybius. "Historiae", [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plb.+17.2 xvii. 2] ; Livy. "Ab Urbe condita", xxxii. 33; Ptolemy. "Geographia", v. 2; Pliny. "Naturalis Historia", [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plin.+Nat.+5.29 v. 29] .] The mountains in the neighbourhood of Iasus furnished a beautiful kind of marble, of a blood-red and livid white colour, which was used by the ancients for ornamental purposes. [Paul the Silentiary. "Description of Hagia Sophia", ii. 213.] Near the town was a sanctuary of Hestia, with a statue of the goddess, which, though standing in the open air, was believed never to be touched by the rain. [Polybius. "Historiae", [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plb.+16.12 xvi. 12] .] The same story is related, by Strabo, of a temple of Artemis in the same neighbourhood. Iasus, as a celebrated fishing place, is alluded to by Athenaeus. [Athenaeus. "Deipnosophistae", iii., xiii.] The place is still existing, under the name of Askem or Asýn Kalessi. Chandler (Travels in As. Min. p. 226) relates that the island on which the town was built is now united to the mainland by a small isthmus. Part of the city walls still exist, and are of a regular, solid, and handsome structure. In the side of the rock a theatre with many rows of seats still remains, and several inscriptions and coins have been found there.

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