Ancient Nicopolis - H αρχαία Νικόπολις

Penelope Doutsiou ,Sissy Doutsiou ,Tasos Sagris, e.t.c., on July 12, said:

Ancient Nicopolis

The ancient walled city of Nicopolis, north west Greece.

Nicoplos, the city of victory, was built by Augustus Caesar, known earlier in his life as Octavian, to commemorate his victory at the naval Battle of Actium, 31 BC. The battle itself was not one of the great triumphs of antiquity but the significance of the victory was immense.

Octavian built a war memorial on the site of his battle tent. He thanked the Gods for his victory saying that the sight of Eutychos (Luck) and Nikon (Victor) before the Battle, foretold victory. Therefore the monument stressed it was built in honour of a leader favoured by the Gods. As was the custom, bronze battering rams and the prows of the captured ships were built into the walls. The site was consecrated to Neptune (as it was a naval victory) and Mars (the God of war and victory). Octavian also dedicated the war monument to Apollo. Prior to the founding of Nicopolis there had been a sanctuary of Apollo at Actium. Octavian liked to portray himself as the one chosen by Apollo, who was the ancestral God of the Julius clan. Apollo was known as the God of discipline and morality a befitting victor to Anthony portrayed as the debauched adulterer under the spell of a foreign Queen. Octavian reinstated the Actian Games, sacred to Apollo.

Octavian renamed himself Augustus Caesar but was tactful enough to retain the Senate in Rome although he was in fact a dictator. He portrayed himself as the saviour of Rome. Augustus was declared a God after death, in line with the Greek belief that if a person bestowed gifts worth of a God during his lifetime, he should be honoured a God. Augustus was viewed as the first Emperor of Rome saving the Roman Empire from decline and civil war.

The city of Nicopolis was built to satisfy military and trade needs of the region. Nicopolis was located on the narrowest part of the peninsula close to the Gulf of Arta, meaning it had 2 harbours, one in the gulf and one on the Ionian Sea. It was built in the typical Roman style of fortified towns, with 4 quarters and 2 main roads. The city was protected by 5kms of fortified walls. It took 6 years to build the 27 mile long aqueduct from the Louros springs to carry water to the city. The aqueduct ended at the Nymphaeum, which doubled as a water cistern and the seaward gate to the city. The inhabitants of the nearby cities of Etolia, Acarnania and Epirus, as well Corinth and as far afield as Italy, were forced to come and live in the new city. Nicoplis not only became the capital city of the region but also a focal point of the Mediterranean due to its geographical position bridging Greece and Italy. Strabo, a contemporary Greek historian, described Nicopolis as populous, with numbers increasing daily. The population reached around 300,000. The city flourished, boasting grand public buildings such as the Odeon, the theatre and the stadium. The city even minted its own coins.