Magnesia on the Maeander
Magnesia on the Maeander is an
ancient Greek city in
Anatolia, located on the
Maeander river upstream from
Ephesus. It was founded by colonists from the inhabitants of
Magnesia -- also known as the
Magnetes in
Greece, who provided its name.It lay within
Ionia, but because it had been settled by
Aeolians from Magnesia of Greece, was not accepted into the Ionian League.
During its existence, Magnesia was subject first to the
Lydians, then to the
Persians. In later years, Magnesia on the Maeander, with its similarly named neighbor
Magnesia on the Sipylum, supported the
Romans in the
Second Mithridatic War.
Gyges, king of Lydia captured it and afterward it suffered from the
Cimmerian raids, and was often under the control of the Persians.
Themistocles retired to Magnesia. There was a Temple of
Artemis but little remains at the site today.
Magnesia was also the source for the mysterious stones that could attract or repel each other, and thus its name came to be used for the phenomenon known as
magnetism.
