Idrias ( grc, Ἰδριάς) was a town of

ancient Caria Caria (; from Greek: Καρία, ''Karia''; tr, Karya) was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid- Ionia (Mycale) south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Ionian and Dorian Greeks colonized the west of it and joined t ...

. It has been suggested that Idrias could be identified with the city that the Hittite texts of the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

call Atriya.

Herodotus Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society ...

cites the territory of Idrias, which he names Idriade where rose the Marsyas River (Çine Çay), which is a tributary of the Maeander River. It was a member of the Delian League since it appears in a tribute decree of

Athens 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 ...

dated to 425/4 BCE. Subsequently, in the opinion of Mehmet Çetin Şahin, Idrias was called Hiera Kome (meaning 'sacred village'). However, Stephanus of Byzantium quotes

Apollonius of Aphrodisias Apollonius of Aphrodisias ( grc, Απολλώνιος ὁ Ἀφροδισιεύς) in Cilicia is described in the Suda as a high priest and a historian. He is said to have written a work on the town of Tralles, a second on the mythological figure ...

who identifies Idrias with Chrysaorium.

Pausanias Pausanias ( el, Παυσανίας) may refer to: *Pausanias of Athens, lover of the poet Agathon and a character in Plato's ''Symposium'' *Pausanias the Regent, Spartan general and regent of the 5th century BC * Pausanias of Sicily, physician of t ...

says that Stratonicea was previously called Chrysaorium. Strabo speaks of the cult of Zeus Chrysaoreus near Stratonicea and that this city was head of the

Chrysaorian League The Chrysaorian League ( grc, σύστημα Χρυσαορικόν, ''systema Chrysaorikon'') was an informal loose federation of several cities in ancient region of Caria, Anatolia that was apparently formed in the early Seleucid period and lasted ...

. It may also be the Chrysaoris. It is probable that Idrias was one of the towns that joined in

synoecism Synoecism or synecism ( ; grc, συνοικισμóς, ''sunoikismos'', ), also spelled synoikism ( ), was originally the amalgamation of villages in Ancient Greece into ''poleis'', or city-states. Etymologically the word means "dwelling toge ...

to found Stratonicea and remained one of its districts.

William Martin Leake William Martin Leake (14 January 17776 January 1860) was an English military man, topographer, diplomat, antiquarian, writer, and Fellow of the Royal Society. He served in the British military, spending much of his career in the Mediterrane ...

held that Stratonicea was built on the site of the town.

, ''Asia Minor'', p. 235.

References

Populated places in ancient Caria Former populated places in Turkey Lost ancient cities and towns Members of the Delian League {{AncientCaria-geo-stub