Heraclea Lyncestis

Coordinates: 41°00′39″N 21°20′33″E / 41.01083°N 21.34250°E / 41.01083; 21.34250
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Heraclea (disambiguation).
Heraclea Lyncestis
Хераклеја Линкестис / Ἡράκλεια Λυγκηστίς / Ἡράκλεια Λύγκου
The Byzantine "small basilica" at Heraclea Lyncestis
Heraclea Lyncestis is located in North Macedonia
Heraclea Lyncestis
Shown within North Macedonia
Alternative nameHerakleia Lynkestis
LocationBitola, Pelagonia Statistical Region, North Macedonia
RegionLynkestis
Coordinates41°00′39″N 21°20′33″E / 41.01083°N 21.34250°E / 41.01083; 21.34250
TypeSettlement
History
BuilderPhilip II of Macedon
FoundedMiddle of the 4th century BC
PeriodsHellenistic to Byzantine
CulturesAncient Greek, Roman

Heraclea Lyncestis, also transliterated Herakleia Lynkestis (

Serdica and other nearby towns. The city was gradually abandoned in the 6th century AD following an earthquake and Slavic invasions
.

Foundation by Philip II

Heraclea Lycestis on the Via Egnatia.

It was founded by Philip II of Macedon in the middle of the 4th century BC. The city was named in honor of the mythological hero Heracles. The name Lynkestis originates from the name of the ancient kingdom, conquered by Philip, where the city was built.

Heraclea was a strategically important town in

votive monuments, a portico, thermae (baths), a theatre
and town walls.

Roman period

Marble bust of Aeschines from Heraclea Lyncestis dating from the Roman period (120-130 AD), donated to the British Museum by the English explorer William Martin Leake

The Roman emperor

pagan
rituals and entertainment.

Late Antiquity and Byzantine periods

In the early

Visigoth forces, commanded by Theodoric the Great in 472 AD and, despite a large gift to him from the city's bishop, it was sacked again in 479 AD. It was restored in the late 5th and early 6th century. When an earthquake struck in 518 AD, the inhabitants of Heraclea gradually abandoned the city.[7] Subsequently, at the eve of the 7th century, the Dragovites, a Slavic tribe pushed down from the north by the Avars, settled in the area. The last coin issue dates from ca. 585, which suggests that the city was finally captured by the Slavs. As result, in place of the deserted city theatre several huts were built.[8]

Mosaics in the basilicas

Great Basilica, narthex mosaic - detail
Ruins at Heraclea

The so-called Small Basilica was discovered in excavations made before the outbreak of World War II between 1936 and 1938. At first it was thought to be an ancient palace, but in the later research from 1960 to 1964, it became clear that it was an early Christian basilica. There is a decorated floor mosaic laid in the technique of "opus sectile" within the basilica and several rooms have been unearthed. The first room was used for baptizing, and the second room has a floor mosaic made in "opus tessellatum" technique. After the creation of the complex Great Basilica, the function of these rooms was changed. By discovering the walls, architectonic plastic and floors were reconstructed electronically.

Great Basilica, narthex mosaic - pomegranate tree

The Great Basilica is a monumental building with a room of open porch colonnades, a room of

exonarthex, one of narthex, two north annexes, and a room of three south annexes. The floors of these rooms have mosaics with geometric and floral designs. The mosaic in the narthex is of early Byzantine art
, a big composition at a size of 100 m (328 ft). There are birds, trees, bushes, a red dog, which is a symbol of paradise, and animals beasts as a domain of the earth. This mosaic dates from the end of the 6th century. The Great Basilica is built on top of another pre-existing one and it is believed to have been built sometime between the 4th and 6th century.

The Great Basilica's mosaic floor is depicted on the reverse of the Macedonian 5000 denars banknote, issued in 1996.[9]

The Episcopacy Residence was excavated between 1970 and 1975. The western part was discovered first and the southern side is near the town wall. The luxury rooms are located in the eastern part. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th rooms all have mosaic floors. Between the 3rd and 4th rooms there is a hole that led to the eastern entrance of the residence. The hole was purposefully created between the 4th and 6th century.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Heraclea Lyncestis.

Notes

  1. ^ The name for the site in the modern Macedonian language, not to be confused with the Ancient Macedonian language.
  2. ^ Fergus Millar, "Rome, the Greek World, and the East: Volume 1: The Roman Republic and the Augustan Revolution", The University of North Carolina Press, 2001, p. 225: "...the king took him as confidant and sent him as an ambassador to Pompey, encamped at Heraclea Lyncestis in northern Greece."
  3. ^ Michael Avi Yonab, Israel Shatzman (1976), Illustrated Encyclopaedia of the Classical World, Jerusalem: The Jerusalem Publishing House Ltd. SNB 562 000372 Page 230
  4. ^ H. B. Walters (editor), (1916), A Classical Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, Biography, Geography and Mythology pp 480-481
  5. Hammond, NGL
    , (1972), A History of Macedonia, Volume I: Historical geography and prehistory, Oxford:At the Clarendon Press, Oxford University Press, p. 59
  6. ^ a b Morton, Jacob Nathan (2017). "Shifting Landscapes, Policies, And Morals: A Topographically Driven Analysis Of The Roman Wars In Greece From 200 Bc To 168 Bc". Publicly Accessible Penn Dissertations. 2484. University of Pennsylvania: 91.
  7. ^ Macedonia, Bradt Guides, Thammy Evans, Bradt Travel Guides, 2007,
    ISBN 1841621862, p. 182.
  8. ^ Echos Du Monde Classique, Classical Association of Canada, 1988, p. 368.
  9. ^ National Bank of the Republic of Macedonia. Macedonian currency. Banknotes in circulation: 5000 Denars Archived 2009-04-27 at the Wayback Machine. – Retrieved on 30 March 2009.
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