Trapezus or Trapezous (), also known as Trapezuntus or Trapezountos (Τραπεζοῦντος), was a town of

ancient Arcadia Arcadia (; ) is a region in the central Peloponnese, Greece. It takes its name from the mythological character Arcas, and in Greek mythology it was the home of the gods Hermes and Pan (god), Pan. In European Renaissance arts, Arcadia (utopia), Ar ...

, in the district

Parrhasia In rhetoric, parrhesia () is candid speech, speaking freely. It implies not only freedom of speech, but the obligation to speak the truth for the common good, even at personal risk. Etymology The earliest recorded use of the term ''parrhesia'' i ...

, a little to the left of the river Alpheius. Its site is near modern Mavria, in the municipal unit of

Gortyna Gortyna (; also known as Gortyn (Γορτύν)) was a town of ancient Crete which appears in the Homeric poems under the form of Γορτύν; but afterwards became usually Gortyna (Γόρτυνα). According to Stephanus of Byzantium it was or ...

. It is said to have derived its name from its founder Trapezeus, the son of Lycaon, or from ''trapeza'' (τράπεζα, 'a table') because

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

here overturned the table on which Lycaon offered him cooked human flesh. The mythological Arcadian king

Hippothous In Greek mythology, Hippothous (, meaning "swift-riding") is the name of seven men: * Hippothous, an Egyptian prince as one of the sons of King Aegyptus.Apollodorus, 2.1.5. He suffered the same fate as his other brothers, save Lynceus, when they ...

was said to have transferred the seat of government from

Tegea Tegea (; ) was a settlement in ancient Arcadia, and it is also a former municipality in Arcadia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the Tripoli municipality, of which it is a municipal unit with an area o ...

to Trapezus. On the foundation of

Megalopolis A megalopolis () or a supercity, also called a megaregion, is a group of metropolitan areas which are perceived as a continuous urban area through common systems of transport, economy, resources, ecology, and so on. They are integrated enough ...

, in 371 BC, the inhabitants of Trapezus refused to remove to the new city; and having thus incurred the anger of the other Arcadians, they quitted

Peloponnesus The Peloponnese ( ), Peloponnesus ( ; , ) or Morea (; ) is a peninsula and geographic regions of Greece, geographic region in Southern Greece, and the southernmost region of the Balkans. It is connected to the central part of the country by the ...

, and took refuge in

Trapezus Trabzon, historically known as Trebizond, is a city on the Black Sea coast of northeastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. The city was founded in 756 BC as "Trapezous" by colonists from Miletus. It was added into the Achaemenid Em ...

on the Pontus Euxeinus (modern

Trabzon Trabzon, historically known as Trebizond, is a city on the Black Sea coast of northeastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. The city was founded in 756 BC as "Trapezous" by colonists from Miletus. It was added into the Achaemenid E ...

), where they were received as a kindred people. The statues of some of their gods were removed to Megalopolis, where they were seen by Pausanias.

References

Populated places in ancient Arcadia Former populated places in Greece Parrhasia {{AncientArcadia-geo-stub

See also

References