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Abdera
LOUISA LOUKOPOULOU

A Greek colony first established ca. 654 BCE by

Klazomenians under Timesios, Abdera was
refounded in 544 by Teians. It was situated in
the moorlands of the Nestos River estuary, and
had direct access to fertile arable land in
the alluvial plain and to precious mineral
resources, probably in the neighboring mountains and in the Thracian hinterland. The
colonys early history records ferocious fighting against the Thracian hosts, but also the
unremitting enmity of her island neighbor,
THASOS. Abdera rose rapidly to great prosperity,
as evidenced by the magnificent, widely circulating, silver coinage struck probably soon after
the middle of the sixth century BCE and bearing
the griffin as the city emblem. First conquered
by the Persians in 513 under Darius I, Abdera
safeguarded its prosperity through opportunistic dealings during the Persian wars and
throughout the fifth century when, as a member of the DELIAN LEAGUE, the city was regularly
assessed with exceptionally high yearly tribute
at fifteen talents. The financial and political
importance of Abdera was further enhanced
by the promotion, through the Abderitan
Nymphodoros, of close relationships with the
rising power of the Odrysian kingdom.
Abderas prosperity was brought to an end
by a massive Triballian invasion in 376/75,
which caused devastation and enormous
losses. Archaeological evidence indicates that
the city was eventually refounded by PHILIP II OF
MACEDON, who occupied the city ca. 350.
During the Hellenistic period, Abdera shared
the troubled destiny of the rest of the
Aegean Thrace. Although the city was declared
free by the Romans after the debacle of PHILIP V
OF MACEDON in 197, it was sacked by the Roman
general Lucius Hortensius in 170, presumably
for its allegiance to the Macedonian Dynasty.
Following the final dissolution of the Macedonian kingdom after the Roman victory at

Pydna (168 BCE; see PYDNA, BATTLE OF), Abdera,

like Maroneia and Ainos, was declared free and
autonomous.
Epigraphic evidence attests to the close
relationship persistently entertained between
Abdera and her metropolis, TEOS. The colony
seems to have adopted most metropolitan civic
and religious institutions; as in Teos, a board of
timouchoi shared the executive authority. The
poliad deity of Abdera was probably DIONYSOS,
while the eponymous official was the priest of
Apollo, revered under the epithet Derainos.
Classical Abdera earned proverbial renown
for its affluence, but also for the stupidity of its
citizens, although it boasted having given birth
to important philosophers, such as DEMOCRITUS,
PROTAGORAS, and ANAXARCHOS OF ABDERA.
Archaeological research north of Cape
Bouloustra has brought to light remains of
Abderas Archaic (seventh to sixth century
BCE) necropolis, parts of the Archaic and Classical city, with two phases of the circuit wall
protecting the citys portuary installations, and
other public and private buildings. The city
was relocated and apparently grid-planned
ca. 350 further south, where excavations have
brought to light several insulae of Hellenistic
and Roman dwellings, traces of the theater, and
the western city gate with large sections of
well-constructed fortifications, enclosing an
extended area of ca. 112 ha.

REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED READINGS

Chryssanthaki-Nagle, K. (2007) Lhistoire monetaire
dAbde`re en Thrace: VIe s. av. J.-C. IIe s. ap.
J.-C. Athens.
Isaac, B. (1986) The Greek settlements in Thrace
until the Macedonian conquest. Leiden.
Loukopoulou, L. (2004) Thrace from Nestos to
Hebros. In M. H. Hansen and T. H. Nielsen,
eds., An inventory of Archaic and Classical poleis:
87084. Oxford.
Loukopoulou, L. et al. (2005) Inscriptiones antiquae
partis Thraciae quae ad ora Maris Aegaei sita
est: 148260. Athens.

The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, First Edition. Edited by Roger S. Bagnall, Kai Brodersen, Craige B. Champion, Andrew Erskine,
and Sabine R. Huebner, print pages 12.
2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Published 2013 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
DOI: 10.1002/9781444338386.wbeah14001