Kebrene - KebrenOnce upon a time, it was one of the important cities of the region, namely the mountainous Troy region, where the city of Skepsis and the enemy city of Kebren were located.
The city is located in the area between the hills of Fuğla and Bakacak, at an elevation of 638 meters, between the villages of Çaldağ and Akpınar, 14 km south of the district.
It is one of the cities closest to Mount Ida. It dominates the Bayramiç and Ezine plains. It is located on the ancient roads that connect the southern slopes of Mount Ida with the ancient cities.
According to Strabo, who quotes Skepsisli Demotrios, the city's name is derived from Kebriones, the illegitimate son of Priam.
The name Kebrene is derived from Luwian and its successor Anatolian languages, as "Kebrana." It is derived from the elements "beautiful-sacred" and has the characteristic of a typical Anatolian city name. When the name of the city is examined, the meaning of "abundant water-plentiful water" is also understood.
Researcher Leaf states that the city was surrounded by a five-gated wall. He mentions that the length of the wall is approximately 5 kilometers, with a height of about 3 meters. However, the probable locations of only three gates have been determined.
The city wall has a circular shape, encompassing the hills of Çaldağ and Fuğla. However, today, only a small portion of these city walls can be seen in the garden of a house in Çaldağ village.
To the southwest of Fuğla hill, there is the city's cemetery area.
Researcher Cook also mentioned the presence of gray ceramics in the city. Pieces of Dinosaurs and various bowl fragments from the 7th century BC and handles and drinking vessels dating back to the 2nd millennium BC were found in various parts of the city. According to all research results, it has been proven that there has been a settlement in the city from the 2nd millennium BC until the Byzantine period.
The city, enriched with silver mines and animal husbandry, is one of the first cities in the region to mint coins. Additionally, progress in wool production can be observed in the city, which is confirmed by the "ram's head" motif on the coins. (A collection of coins from the city of Kebren is currently exhibited at the London British Museum.)
The city is located on ancient roads that lead to Pionia, Gargara, Antandros (present-day vicinity of Edremit Bay), Assos, and Lamponya (near Ayvacık).
Xenophon and Strabo, historians and writers, mention that Kebrene is a place between Skepsis and Skamandras (Kara Menderes River).
Its establishment dates back to the 7th century BC when the Lydians established their dominion in the region.
From the 6th century BC onwards, the Persian influence, which was seen in Anatolia, also occasionally affected the city of Kebren.
From 435 BC onwards, the city became a member of the Delian League as an independent state. With the resurgence of the Persians, at the end of the 5th century BC, the city once again came under Persian rule. The Persians appointed Zenin, a Dardanian, as the governor of the region. Later, his wife Mania, including the city of Kebren, ruled the region until the beginning of the 4th century BC. (The name of Queen Mania is also mentioned in the city of Skepsis.)
However, after the killing of Mania, Spartan Commander Derkylidas took advantage of the perceived administrative vacuum in the region, besieged the city, and the people of Kebren, preferring the Spartans to the
Persians, opened the city gates without resistance.
Antigonus, one of Alexander the Great's commanders, forced the people of Kebren into compulsory migration, and from 310 BC onwards, they were compelled to live in Alexandria Troas for about ten years.
According to ancient sources, the compulsory relocation ended after the death of Antigonus, and the people of Kebren and Skepsis returned to their own cities.
In 281 BC, with the permission of I. Antiochus, the head of the Seleucid dynasty, the city of Kebren was rebuilt.
Heinrich Schliemann, who looted the treasures excavated from the city of Troy in 1882, excavated and unearthed this place, finding some silver remnants.
If you visit the site today, you can see a cistern carved into the main rock and dense pieces of roof tiles belonging to this structure on top of Fuğla hill. Additionally, among the remnants of the city, which was built on a quite large area, there are traces of foundations on the hilltop plateau, processed stones scattered around the surroundings, and abundant ceramic fragments. The ruins on Çaldağ are denser than the other hill.
Especially, you should see the remnants of the city walls in the garden of a house in Çaldağ village.
The city is located in the area between the hills of Fuğla and Bakacak, at an elevation of 638 meters, between the villages of Çaldağ and Akpınar, 14 km south of the district.
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