Arethusa or Arethousa ( grc, Ἀρέθουσα) was a town of
Bisaltia (or of easternmost
Mygdonia
Mygdonia (; el, Μυγδονία / Μygdonia) was an ancient territory, part of Ancient Thrace, later conquered by Macedon, which comprised the plains around Therma (Thessalonica) together with the valleys of Klisali and Besikia, including the ...
) in
ancient Macedonia, in the pass of
Aulon, north of
Stageira
Stagira (), Stagirus (), or Stageira ( el, Στάγειρα or ) was an ancient Greek city located near the eastern coast of the peninsula of Chalkidice, which is now part of the Greek province of Central Macedonia. It is chiefly known for bei ...
, near to
Bolbe Lake,
Rhechius river and a little north of
Bromiscus, and celebrated for containing the sepulchre of
Euripides
Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars a ...
. We learn from the
Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax
The ''Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax'' is an ancient Greek periplus (περίπλους ''períplous'', 'circumnavigation') describing the sea route around the Mediterranean and Black Sea. It probably dates from the mid-4th century BC, specifically ...
(100.67) that it was an ancient Greek colony. It was probably founded by the
Chalcidians
Chalcis ( ; Ancient Greek & Katharevousa: , ) or Chalkida, also spelled Halkida (Modern Greek: , ), is the chief town of the island of Euboea or Evia in Greece, situated on the Euripus Strait at its narrowest point. The name is preserved from ...
of Euboea, who may have called it after the celebrated fountain in the neighbourhood of their city.
Stephanus of Byzantium erroneously calls it a city of
Thrace
Thrace (; el, Θράκη, Thráki; bg, Тракия, Trakiya; tr, Trakya) or Thrake is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe, now split among Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey, which is bounded by the Balkan Mountains to ...
. It was either from this place or from Bromiscus that the fortified town of
Rentine arose, which is frequently mentioned by the Byzantine historians.
Its site is near the modern
Rentina.
References
*Hazlitt, The Classical Gazetteer
*A History of Macedonia: 550-336 B.C Page 194 by N. G. L. Hammond
*Géographie ancienne de la Macédoine Page 359 By Théophile Alphonse Desdevises du Dézert
Greek colonies in Mygdonia
Populated places in ancient Macedonia
Former populated places in Greece
Euboean colonies
Thessaloniki (regional unit)
{{AncientMacedonia-geo-stub