Colophon (city)

Colophon was an ancient city in a place called Ionia. It was founded around the end of the 2nd millennium BC, making it one of the oldest cities in the Ionian League. The city sat between two other ancient cities, Lebedos to the west and Ephesus to the south. Today, the ruins of Colophon can be found south of the town called Değirmendere in the Menderes district of İzmir Province, Turkey.

The name Colophon comes from an Ancient Greek word meaning "summit." This is because the city was built along a ridgeline. The word we use today for a detail at the end of a book, "colophon," comes from this same word. It means a "crowning touch." There is also a type of resin called colophony, which comes from pine trees in the area of Colophon. This resin was very useful for making the hair of stringed musical instruments better at producing sound.

History

Colophon was an ancient city in a place called Ionia. It was likely one of the oldest cities in the Ionian League, which had twelve cities in total. The city was located between two other places, Lebedos and Ephesus.

Many important people were born in Colophon, including philosophers and poets. Over time, the city grew very powerful but later faced tough times. It was conquered by a ruler named Gyges of Lydia, and its importance faded as nearby cities became more powerful. Later, the city was destroyed by a leader named Lysimachus, and it never fully recovered. Some stories also suggest that the famous poet Homer might have been born there.

Bishopric

The city of Colophon had important religious leaders called bishops. Early leaders included Sosthenes and Tychicus, but the only ones with clear records are Eulalius or Euthalius, who attended a big meeting of church leaders in the year 431, and Alexander, who was represented at another meeting in 451.

Even many centuries later, Colophon was still known in church records. Today, the Catholic Church remembers Colophon as a special place for bishops, though it is no longer used for that purpose.

Notable people

Colophon was home to many talented people from ancient times. Some of these included Antimachus, a poet and grammarian, and Apelles, a famous painter.

Other notable figures were Hermesianax, an elegiac poet from the Hellenistic period, and Mimnermus, another elegiac poet. Xenophanes was known as a philosopher, theologian, poet, and critic of social and religious practices. There was also a wrestler named Hermesianax who won in the Ancient Olympic Games, and later, his grandson Icasius also became a wrestling champion.

Attribution

This article uses information from a book that is now free for everyone to read. The book is called the Catholic Encyclopedia, and the part about Colophon was written by someone named Pétridès in 1913.