Pteleum or Pteleon (Ancient Greek: Πτελεόν) was a fortress town in the territory of Erythrae, in Ionia.[1] Pliny the Elder mentions Pteleon, Helos, and Dorium as near Erythrae,[2] but those places are confused by Pliny with the Triphylian towns in Homer's Catalogue of Ships in the Iliad.[3]

Pteleum was a member of the Delian League since it is mentioned in tribute records to Athens at least between the years 450/49 and 430/29 BCE.[4]

Thucydides places it in the territory of Erythrae and says that, like Sidussa it was a fortified place that was used by the Athenian army under the command of Leon and Diomedon to attack positions on Chios in the year 412 BCE. The following winter Astyochos, in command of Spartan ships along with others from Chios, attacked Pteleum, but failed to take it.[1]

Its location is near Karareis-Meli in İzmir Province, Turkey.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b Thucydides, Peloponnesian War, 8.24, 31
  2. ^ Pliny. Naturalis Historia. Vol. 5.29.31.
  3. ^ Homer. Iliad. Vol. 2.594.
  4. ^ Mogens Herman Hansen & Thomas Heine Nielsen (2004). "Ionia". An inventory of archaic and classical poleis. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 1093. ISBN 0-19-814099-1.
  5. ^ Richard Talbert, ed. (2000). Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton University Press. p. 56, and directory notes accompanying.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Pteleum". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.

38°29′N 26°25′E / 38.483°N 26.417°E / 38.483; 26.417

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