Datus or Datos ( grc, Δάτος), also Datum or Daton (Δάτον and Δᾶτον), was an
ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...
city located in
Macedonia, specifically in the region between the river
Strymon and the river
Nestos. It was founded by colonists from
Thasos
Thasos or Thassos ( el, Θάσος, ''Thásos'') is a Greek island in the North Aegean Sea. It is the northernmost major Greek island, and 12th largest by area.
The island has an area of and a population of about 13,000. It forms a separate re ...
at 360 BCE, with the help and support of the
Athenian
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
exiled
orator
An orator, or oratist, is a public speaker, especially one who is eloquent or skilled.
Etymology
Recorded in English c. 1374, with a meaning of "one who pleads or argues for a cause", from Anglo-French ''oratour'', Old French ''orateur'' (14th ...
Callistratus of Aphidnae Kallistratos of Aphidnae ( grc, Καλλίστρατος, Latinized: Callistratus; bef. 415–aft. 355 BCE) was an Athenian orator and general in the 4th century BCE.
Family
We know little of his background, though he appears to have been of the ...
. Datos was a seaport, close to
Mount Pangaion
The Pangaion Hills (; ; Homeric Greek: Nysa; also called Pangaeon, Pangaeum) are a mountain range in Greece, approximately 40 km from Kavala. The highest elevation is 1,956 m at the peak of Koutra. The Aegean Sea lies to the south and ...
with its rich gold veins and to another Thasian colony,
Crenides. The two colonies provoked the
Thracians
The Thracians (; grc, Θρᾷκες ''Thrāikes''; la, Thraci) were an Indo-European languages, Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe in ancient history.. ...
but at the same time gave
Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon ( grc-gre, Φίλιππος ; 382 – 21 October 336 BC) was the king ('' basileus'') of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the ...
the justification for penetrating the area and founding
Philippi
Philippi (; grc-gre, Φίλιπποι, ''Philippoi'') was a major Greek city northwest of the nearby island, Thasos. Its original name was Crenides ( grc-gre, Κρηνῖδες, ''Krenides'' "Fountains") after its establishment by Thasian colon ...
in 356 BCE. The name was also applied to a wide region. There was some conjecture that Datus was the same as the later
Neapolis (near modern
Kavala
Kavala ( el, Καβάλα, ''Kavála'' ) is a city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala regional unit.
It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos and on the Egnat ...
), A proverb current in antiquity celebrated Datus for its "good things."
[Zenob. ''Prov. Graec. Cent.'' 3.71; Harpocrat. ''s.v.'' Δάτος]
See also
*
Greek colonies in Thrace
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
References
Greek colonies in Thrace
Populated places in ancient Macedonia
Former populated places in Greece
Thasian colonies
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