Teos

For a pharaoh, see Teos of Egypt. For tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), see Tetraethyl orthosilicate.

Teos (Τέως) Ancient City of Greece Sığacık

Teos (Greek: Τέως; demonym: Τήϊος) or Teo was a maritime city of Ionia, on a peninsula between Chytrium and Myonnesus, colonized by Orchomenian Minyans, Ionians, and Boeotians. The city is situated on a low hilly narrow strip of land connecting two larger areas of land (isthmus). Teos ranked among twelve cities comprising the Ionian League. It was a member of the Lydian group of the Ionian League, one of the four groups defined by Herodotus, based on the particular dialects of the cities. It was the birthplace of Anacreon the poet, Hecateus the historian, Protagoras the sophist, Scythinus the poet, Andron the geographer, and Apellicon, the preserver of the works of Aristotle.

Teos was a flourishing seaport with two fine harbours until Cyrus the Great invaded Lydia and Ionia (ca. 540 BC). The Teans found it prudent to retire overseas, to the newly founded colonies of Abdera in Thrace and Phanagoria on the Asian side of the Cimmerian Bosporus. The port was revived by Antigonus Cyclops; and Epicurus reportedly studied there under Nausiphanes, a disciple of Democritus. During the times of the Roman emperors, the town was noted for its wine, a theatre and Temple of Dionysus. These are positioned near the acropolis, which is situated on a low hill and had fortifications by the sixth century.

A shipwreck near Tektaş, a small rock outcrop near Teos harbour, dates from the Classical period (around the sixth to the fourth centuries BC) and implies trading connections by sea with eastern Aegean Islands.

The modern village of Sığacık is situated close to the ruins of Teos. The interior of what was previously the city has now been intensively farmed, which makes it difficult to excavate the site. Through ploughing, pottery has been brought to the surface of the earth, which has been collected through archaeological survey.

Vitruvius (vii, introduction) notes Hermogenes of Priene as the architect of the monopteral temple for Father Bacchus at Teos.

External links

• The Archaeological Investigations At Teos
• "Teos". Catholic Encyclopedia. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14513a.htm. 
• Orthodox Romanian Portal