Ancient Coin Stories

The area around Troy is first settled.

Troy is already a small fortified city.

Troy I destroyed by fire. Troy II is built.

Final destruction of Troy II. Troy III is constructed.

Troy VI is constructed, which may be considered the most powerful Troy.

Dardanos founded in legend by Dardanus, son of Zeus by Elektra.

Reign of Erichthonios in Dardanos.

Troy first appears in Hittite records as ‘Wilusa’.

Tros, from whom the Trojans are named, reigns in Dardanos.

Troy VI is destroyed by what is believed to be an earthquake.

Troy VIIa is destroyed by an enemy attack, perhaps that described in the Iliad.

Troy VIIb heavily damaged by an earthquake.

Assos founded by Aeolian colonists from Lesbos.

Troy VIIB is destroyed by fire.

Traditional founding of Gargara by Aeolian Greeks. The city was originally established on a site closer to the coast, possibly by settlers from Kyme or other Aeolian cities.

Greek immigrants begin rebuilding around Troy.

Abydos founded by settlers from Miletos.

Eresos, Kyme, Mytiliene, Methymna, Pitane, Eliaia, Larissa, Neonteichos, Aigai, Antandros, Temnos, Gryneion, and Smyrna become members of the Aeolian League, an association of Greek city-states in the region.

Doric temple to Athena constructed at Assos.

Abydos occupied by Persia.

Darius I destroyed Abydos and takes Byzantion as part of his Scythian campaign.

Otanes, satrap of Phrygia, captures Antandros, Lamponeia, Imbros, and Hephaistia and Myrina on Lemnos.

Eresos and Gargara participate in the Ionian Revolt against Persian rule. The revolt fails, and Persian control over the area is reasserted.

Xerxes’ army marches out of Sardis and passes through Atarneos, Thebe, Adramytteion, Antandros, Ilion, Gergis, and Abydos on its way to Greece. Its temporary headquarters is at Elaios.

Delian League founded by Athens, with its regular meeting place at Delos. Ephesos, Gargara, and Eresos are members.

Antissa and Mytilene revolt from Athens during the Peloponnesian War. Athens forces both cities back into its orbit. Hamaxitos is taken from Mytilene.

Antandros joins the Delian League.

Antandros is taken by exiles from Mytilene.

Abydos convinced to defect from Delian league by Sparta. The Chians also convince Lebedos and Airai to defect.

Antandros removes its Persian garrison with the help of Peloponnesian troops from Abydos.

Pharnabazos orders ships built at Antandros. At the same time, Syracuse helps Antandros finish its city wall, resulting in citizen privileges for Syracusans there. When the ships are complete, Pharnabazos sails for Kalchedon.

Abydos attacked by Athens but repelled by Pharnabazos.

Hamaxitos gains some freedom after Athens is defeated in the Peloponnesian War.

The 10,000, as described in Xenophon’s Anabasis, travel through Antandros and Adramytteion.

Deryklidas of Sparta supports the Ionian Greeks against the Persians. He besieges Atarneos for eight months until they accept his terms and takes Hamaxitos, Kolonai, and Ilion. This ends in an armistice with Pharnabazos.

Hamaxitos is forcibly re-integrated into the Persian Empire.

During a battle between Deryklidas of Sparta and Pharnabazos with Tissaphernes, men from Priene and Achilleion fighting with the Spartans fled. Hamaxitos thus receives its freedom again.

Agesilaos II, King of Sparta, passed through Abydos.

Anaxabios replaces Deryklidas as head of Abydos.

Anaxabios of Abydos is ambushed and killed by the Athenian general Iphikrates.

Peace of Antalkidas signed in Susa, ending the Corinthian War. Abydos, Aigai, and Adramytteion become part of the Persian Empire.

Tyrant Philiskos rules Abydos.

Autophradates lay siege to Ariobarzanes in Assos. In exchange for Athenian support, Ariobarzanes gifts them Sestos.

Abydos comes under the tyrant Iphiades.

Aristotle moves to Assos and marries the niece of its ruler Hermeias, Pythia.

Abydos besieged by the Macedonian general Parmenion under Philip II.

Abydos is besieged by Memnon of Rhodes, forcing Parmenion to give up his siege of Pitane.

Alexander the Great crosses from Sestos to Abydos. He then visits Troy and returns to Abydos. On his way, he sacrifices at the tomb of Achilles at Achilleion.

The Persians are driven out of Assos and Ephesos by Alexander the Great.

Partition of Babylon. Abydos and Adramytteion come under control of Leonnatos. Egypt with Alexandria and Gaza are under Ptolemy. Baktria comes under Seleukos I Nikator.

Partition of Triparadisos. Abydos is given to Arrhidaios. Susa goes to Antigenes. Antipater is left in charge of Macedonia and is entrusted with Alexander IV and Philip III.

Alexandria Troas founded by Antigonos I Monophthalmos from the cities of Neandria, Skepsis, Hamaxitos, Kolone, Kebren, and Achilleion.

A new theater is built at Ilion.

Abydos besieged by Lysimachos.

Antigoneia renamed to Alexandria Troas by Lysimachos.

Around this time, Lysimachos combined Achilleion with other communities around Ilion.

Arsinoe II begs Lysimachos to let her have Herakleia Pontika. He eventually relents, and she installs Herakleides of Kyme, who becomes tyrant.

Lysimachos defeated at the Battle of Coropedion. Adramytteion, Ainos, and Abydos come under control of the Seleukid Empire. Ephesos returns to its original name.

Attalos attacks the forces of the usurper Adaios and defeats him, then engages in friendly negotiations with Lampsakos, Alexandria Troas, and Ilion, all of which had remained loyal to him.

Abydos and Ephesos conquered by Ptolemy III of Egypt.

Assos comes under the control of the Attalid Kingdom.

Gauls invade the Troad and besiege Ilion. Alexandria Troas dispatches an army of 4000 and relieves the siege.

Abydos besieged by Philip V of Macedon. Ainos is taken. Elaios surrenders to him peacefully.

Abydos and Ephesos seized by Antiochos III of the Seleukid Empire.

Philip V is forced to remove his garrisons from Iasos, Euromos, Pedasa, Bargylia, Abydos, Thasos, Myrina, and Perinthos.

Antiochos III, desiring to meet Rome in battle, is detained by the cities of Alexandria Troas, Smyrna, and Lampsakos, which refused entreaties.

Treaty of Apamea. Euromos, and Abydos returned to the Kingdom of Pergamon.

Adramytteion, Attalaia, Erythrai, Ephesos, and Assos come under Roman control after Attalos III, the last Attalid king, leaves it to Rome in his will.

Ilion is destroyed by Sulla.

Sulla defeats Mithridates VI and ends the Mithridatic Wars with the Treaty of Dardanos. Adramytteion, Ephesos, Pergamon, Smyrna, Sardis, Tralles, Kolophon, Apamea, and Magnesia return to Roman control.

Ilion suffers an attack by pirates.

Ilion sides with the Roman general Lucullus against Mithridates VI.

Pompey rewards Ilion for its loyalty.

Julius Caesar bestows benefactions on Ilion.

Augustus visits Ilion.

Assos is visited by the Apostle Paul.

Emperor Caracalla holds funeral games at the Tomb of Achilles at Achilleion on his way to Parthia.