Anthylla

30°47′40″N 30°36′01″E / 30.79444°N 30.60028°E / 30.79444; 30.60028

Anthylla (Ancient Greek: Ἄνθυλλα) or Andylla (Ancient Greek: Ἀντυλλα) is an ancient city of Lower Egypt, on the Canopus branch of the Nile River.

Herodotus describes it as a town of some reputation and states that its revenues were assigned to the Egyptian queen for the provision of her shoes, an arrangement that, he notes, continued under Persian rule.[1] Herodotus also mentions that it was close to the "town of Archander" (Ἀρχάνδρου πόλις),[1] also known as "Archandroupolis" (Ἀρχανδρούπολις).[2]

According to Athenaeus, Anthylla provided the queen of Egypt with her furnishings and was renowned for producing some of the best wine in Egyptian vineyards.[3]

It is sometimes thought to be the ancient city of Gynaecopolis.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b Herodotus, The Histories, 2.97-2.99
  2. ^ Stephanus of Byzantium, Ethnica, 467
  3. ^ a b "Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography". Perseus.tufts.edu. Retrieved 2012-11-10.