Achilleion (Troad)

History

Achilleion first appears as a fortified settlement used by Mytilene to attack Athenian-controlled Sigeion in the early 6th century BCE. Ceramic evidence and wall excavations confirm this date. It remained under Mytilene until Athens ended the Mytilenean revolt in 427 BCE and took over the Actaean cities. Achilleion appears in Athenian tribute lists for 425/4 and 422/1 BCE, indicating membership in the Delian League.

Bronze coins bearing the legend AX, thought to refer to Achilleion, suggest the city minted its own coinage c. 350 - 300 BCE. King Lysimachus synoecized Ilion with surrounding communities including Achilleion during his reign (306 - 281 BCE), ending its political independence. Demetrius of Scepsis recorded a hamlet named Achilleion on the site in the mid-2nd century BCE, and the latest ceramic finds date to around that time, after which the site became uninhabited.

Tomb of Achilles and Patroclus

The polis was most famous for its association with Achilles. In 334 BC Alexander the Great sacrificed at the Tomb of Achilles while passing Ilion, a story later mentioned by Cicero in the mid-1st century BC. In AD 216 Emperor Caracalla held funeral games around the tumulus. After the settlement was abandoned, writers linked the tomb with nearby Sigeion.