city state · Greece and the Aegean
Abydos
Origins
Settlers from Miletus founded Abydos c. 680 BCE on the Asian shore of the Hellespont, at the narrows opposite Sestos, with the agreement of the Lydian king Gyges. Its position controlled the crossing between Europe and Asia and the passage of ships to the Black Sea.
Rule and society
Abydos lived from trade and fishing. In 480 BCE Xerxes built his boat bridges across the strait near the city. It joined the Delian League but revolted in 411 BCE, becoming a Spartan base, and the Battle of Abydos was fought off its shore that year. Greek legend set the story of Leander, who swam to Hero at Sestos, here.
Decline and legacy
In 200 BCE Philip V of the Antigonid Kingdom of Macedonia besieged Abydos; rather than surrender, many citizens killed their families and themselves. Rome later freed it, and it joined the province of Asia in 129 BCE.
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (3)
- Abydos was part of Achaemenid Empire546 BCE – 478 BCE
- Abydos was part of Delian League478 BCE – 411 BCE
- Abydos was conquered by Antigonid Kingdom of Macedonia200 BCE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Abydos. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/abydos
- MLA
- “Abydos.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/abydos. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Abydos.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/abydos.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Abydos’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/abydos (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻