Nikopolis
| Νικόπολις (Greek) | |
The Roman nymphaeum of Nicopolis
|
|
 Shown within Greece
|
|
| Alternate name | Actia Nicopolis |
|---|---|
| Location | Preveza, Epirus, Greece |
| Region | Epirus |
| Coordinates | 39°00′30″N 20°44′01″E / 39.00833°N 20.73361°ECoordinates: 39°00′30″N 20°44′01″E / 39.00833°N 20.73361°E |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Builder | Octavian |
| Founded | 28 BC |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Ruined |
| Ownership | Public |
| Management | 33rd Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities |
| Public access | Yes |
| Website | Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism |
Nicopolis (Greek: Νικόπολις Nikópolis, "City of Victory") or Actia Nicopolis was the capital city of the Roman province of Epirus Vetus. It was located in the western part of the modern state of Greece. The city was founded in 29 BC by Caesar Augustus in commemoration of his victory in 31 BC over Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium nearby. It was soon made the major city of the wider region of Epirus region. Many impressive ruins of the ancient city may be visited today, although today the old city is associated with the name Preveza, a place 7 kilometres (4 miles) south of Nicopolis.
See main page: Battle of Actium.
In 28 BC, 3 years after his victory in the naval battle of Actium, Octavian founded a new city which he called Nicopolis (the City of Victory), located on the southernmost promontory of Epirus, and across the mouth of the harbour from the ancient town of Actium. This foundation echoed a tradition dating back to Alexander the Great, and more recently illustrated by Pompey, founder of Nicopolis in Little Armenia (63 BC.). Symbolically, the new city represented one example of his successful unification of the Roman Empire under one administration. Geographically, it constituted a major transportation and communications link between the eastern and western halves of the Mediterranean. Economically, it served to reorganise and revitalise the region, which had never recovered from its destruction by Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus in the Third Macedonian war (171-167 BC), or the further destruction under Sulla in 87-86BC. It also established an important commercial centre and port at this strategic position on the Mediterranean sea routes.
...
Wikipedia