A´STYRA
A´STYRA (
Ἀστυρα,
Ἄστυρον: Eth.
Ἀστυρηνός), a small town of Mysia, in the plain of Thebes, between Antandros and Adramyttium.
It had a temple of Artemis, of which the Antandrii had the superintendence. (Strab. p. 613.) Artemis had hence the name of Astyrene or Astirene. (
Xen. Hell. 4.1. 41) There was a lake Sapra near Astyra, which communicated with the sea. Pausanias, from his own observations (4.35.10), describes a spring of black water at Astyra; the water was hot.
But he places Astyra in Atarneus. [
ATARNEUS] There was, then, either a place in Atarneus called Astyra, with warm springs, or Pausanias has made some mistake; for there is no doubt about the position of the Astyra of Strabo and Mela (1.19). Astyra was a deserted place, according to Pliny's authorities.
He calls it Astyre.
There are said to be coins of Astyra.
Strabo (pp. 591, 680) mentions an Astyra above Abydus in Troas, once an independent city, but in Strabo's time it was a ruined place, and belonged to the inhabitants of Abydus.
There were once gold mines there, but they were nearly exhausted in Strabo's time.
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