ATHE´NAE
ATHE´NAE (
Atenah), a city and port of Pontus (
Steph. B. sub voce Ἀθῆναι), with an Hellenic temple.
According to Arrian (p. 4, &c.), it was 180 stadia east of the river Adienus, and 280 stadia west of Apsarus. Brant (
London Geog. Journ. vol. vi. p. 192) mentions a magnificent place, called
Atenah, on the coast between
Trebizond and the mouth of the Apsarus, but the distance on his map between
Atenah and the mouth of Apsarus is much more than 280 stadia.
The distance of Rhezius (
Rezah), a well-known position, to Athenae is 270 stadia, which agrees pretty well with the map. If then the Apsarus [
APSARUS] is rightly identified, and
Atenah is Athenae, there is an error in the stadia between Athenae and the Apsarus.
Procopius derives the name of the place from an ancient princess, whose tomb was there. Arrian speaks of the place as a deserted fort, but Procopius describes it as a populous place in his time. (
Bell. Pers. 2.29,
Bell. Goth. 4.2.) Mannert assumes it to be the same place as the Odeinius of Scylax (p. 32), and Cramer (
Asia Minor, vol. i. p. 292) assumes the site of Athenae to be a place called
Ordouna. [
G.L]
