Zu den Gründungstraditionen des thrakischen Hadrianopolis (Edirne)

Abstract

This paper brings together the foundation traditions of the Thracian city of Hadrianopolis (modern
Edirne). It is shown that the last refoundation of the city by Emperor Hadrian should be dated to the winter of AD 123 or early 124 and that the citizens of the newly established city wove this foundation act into a mythic narrative. Prior to the establishment of Hadrianopolis, a small city called Orestias had existed there, which traced its beginnings back to Orestes, Iphigeneia and Pylades. In this context, the author highlights the historical value of a passage from the Life of Elagabalus in the SHA and demonstrates that bronze coins of Hadrianopolis – hitherto believed to depict the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice – in fact show the foundation of the city of Orestias, i.e. the later Hadrianopolis, by the children of Agamemnon. It is quite possible that Orestias was founded by Philipp II of Macedon and received its name from the Macedonian tribe of the Orestai. The alleged foundation of the city by Herakles takes us back to even more remote times. Another hero, whom the coins commemorate and who was intended to attest the antiquity of the city, is Bellerophon, who, riding on his winged horse Pegasus, paid a visit to this place during his expedition against the Amazons.