Nicaea or Nikaia (), was an ancient fortress of the

Epicnemidian Locrians Opuntian Locris or Eastern Locris was an ancient Greek region inhabited by the eastern division of the Locrians, the so-called tribe of the Locri Epicnemidii () or Locri Opuntii (Greek: ). Geography Opuntian Locris consisted of a narrow slip u ...

, situated upon the sea, and close to the pass of

Thermopylae Thermopylae (; ; Ancient: , Katharevousa: ; ; "hot gates") is a narrow pass and modern town in Lamia (city), Lamia, Phthiotis, Greece. It derives its name from its Mineral spring, hot sulphur springs."Thermopylae" in: S. Hornblower & A. Spaw ...

. It is described by

Aeschines Aeschines (; Greek: ; 389314 BC) was a Greek statesman and one of the ten Attic orators. Biography Although it is known he was born in Athens, the records regarding his parentage and early life are conflicting; but it seems probable that h ...

as one of the places which commanded the pass. It was the first Locrian town after Alpenos, the latter being at the very entrance of the pass. The surrender of Nicaea by Phalaecus to Philip II, in 346 BCE, made the

Macedon Macedonia ( ; , ), also called Macedon ( ), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, which later became the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by the royal ...

ian king master of Thermopylae, and brought the

Third Sacred War The Third Sacred War ( 356– 346 BC) was fought between the forces of the Delphic Amphictyonic League, principally represented by Thebes, and latterly by Philip II of Macedon, and the Phocians. The war was caused by a large fine imposed in 35 ...

to an end. Philip kept possession of it for some time, but subsequently gave it to the

Thessalians Thessaly ( ; ; ancient Thessalian: , ) is a traditional geographic and modern administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia (, ), and appears ...

along with Magnesia. But in 340 BC we again find Nicaea in the possession of Philip. According to

Memnon of Heraclea Memnon of Heraclea (; , ''gen''.: Μέμνονος; fl. c. 1st century) was a Greek historical writer, probably a native of Heraclea Pontica. He described the history of that city in a large work, known only through the ''Excerpta of '' ''Photius'' ...

, Nicaea was destroyed by the Phocians, and its inhabitants founded Bithynian Nicaea. But even if this is true, the town must have been rebuilt soon afterwards, since we find it in the hands of the Aetolians during the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

wars in

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. Subsequently the town is only mentioned by

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

(ix. p. 426).

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

identifies Nicaea with the castle of

Mendenitsa Mendenitsa (), in the Middle Ages known as Mountonitsa (Μουντονίτσα) and Bodonitsa, Boudonitsa, or Vodonitsa (Βοδονίτσα), is a village in Phthiotis, Greece. Along with the nearby village of Karavidia, it forms a community in th ...

, where there are ancient remains. Modern scholars place its site at Ag. Triada / Palaiokastro.

Notes

10. Livy, "The Dawn of the Roman Empire", (Oxford World's Classics, 2000, Books 31-40) Book 32, chapt 32, p 86, "They hillip II of Macedonia and Roman Consul, Quinctiuschose a site on a beach in the Malian Gulf near Nicaea..." in 197 BC.

References

* Cities in ancient Greece Populated places in Epicnemidian Locris Former populated places in Greece {{AncientGreece-geo-stub