Adramyttium

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

(Ἀδραμύττιον; in the NT only the adjective Ἀδραμυττηνός [ Acts 27:2] is found; Westcott-Hort’s Greek TestamentἈδραμυτηνός).-This flourishing seaport of Mysia was situated at the head of the Adramyttian Gulf, opposite the island of Lesbos, in the shelter of the southern side of Mt. Ida, after which the Gulf was also called the ‘Idaean.’

Its name and origin were probably Phœnician, but Strabo describes it as ‘a city founded by a colony of Athenians, with a harbour and roadstead’ (xiii. i. 51). Rising to importance under the Attalids, it became the metropolis of the N.W. district of the Roman province of Asia, and the head of a conventus juridicus . Though it passed the coast-road which connected Ephesus with Troy and the Hellespont, while an inland highway linked it with Pergamos.

It was in ‘a ship of Adramyttium’-larger than a mere coasting vessel-probably making for her own port, that St. Paul and St. Luke sailed from Caesarea by Sidon and under the lee (to the east) of Cyprus to Myra in Lycia, where they joined a corn-ship of Alexandria bound for Italy ( Acts 27:2-6). The modern town of Edremid , which inherits the name and much of the prosperity of Adramyttium, is 5 miles from the coast.

Literature.-Conybeare-Howson, St. Paul , 1877, ii. 381f.; J. Smith, Voyage and Shipwreck of St. Paul 4, 1880, p. 62ff.; W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Raman Citizen , 1895, p. 316.

James Strahan.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Adramyt'tium. Named from Adramys , brother of Croesus, king of Lydia, a seaport in the province of Asia, See Asia , situated on a bay of the Aegean Sea, about 70 miles north of Smyrna, in the district anciently called Aeolis, and also Mysia. See  Acts 16:7. See Mitylene .  Acts 27:2. The modern Adramyti is a poor village.

Fausset's Bible Dictionary

A seaport in Mysia ( Acts 27:2). Its gulf is opposite the isle Lesbos, on the Roman route between Troas and the Hellespont, and Pergames, Ephesus and Miletus. The centurion escorting Paul took an Adramyttian ship, as a vessel going the whole way from Palestine to Italy was hard to find, and as it would bring them so far on their journey toward Rome, and in that coast they would be likely to find another ship to take them the rest of the way. At Myra in Lycia accordingly they found an Alexandrian ship bound for Italy.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Adramyttium . A town of Mysia (in the Roman province of Asia) on the Adramyttene Gulf, originally a native State, and only later Hellenized by the Delians, who had been driven away from home by the Athenians (422 b.c.). In Roman times it was a place of considerable importance both politically and intellectually. It possessed a harbour, and a ship belonging to the place carried St. Paul from Cæsarea by Sidon and Cyprus to Myra (  Acts 27:2-6 ).

A. Souter.

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Adramyttium ( Ăd-Ra-Mit'T Ĭ-Ŭm ). A seaport town of Mysia: it was an Athenian colony, and is now but a village, retaining the name Edremid, with some trade. It was in a ship of Adramyttium that Paul on his voyage to Italy sailed from Cæsarea to Myra.  Acts 27:2-5.

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

a city on the west coast of Mysia, in Lesser Asia, over against the isle of Lesbos. It was in a ship belonging to this place, that St. Paul sailed from Cesarea to proceed to Rome as a prisoner,

 Acts 27:2 .

It is now called Edremit.

Morrish Bible Dictionary

The place to which the ship belonged in which Paul sailed as a prisoner.  Acts 27:2 . It lies in Mysia, Asia Minor, 39 35' N, 27 2' E. Its present name is Adramyt , and it is still a seaport town.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

A maritime town of Mysia, in Asia Minor, opposite to the island of Lesbos,  Acts 27:2 . It is now called Adramyt.

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Acts 27:2

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Acts 27:2

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

( Ἀδραμύττιον or Ἀδραμύττειον [also Ἀτραμύττιον , see Poppo ’ s Thucyd. 2, 441 sq.; and Adramytteos, Pliny 5:32], in the N.T. only in the adj. Ἀδραμυττηνός , Adramyttene), a city of Asia Minor, on the coast of Mysia, ( A Eolis, according to Mela, 1, 18), and at the head of an extensive bay (Sinus Adramyttenus) facing the island of Lesbos and at the foot of Mount Ida. (See Mitylene). Strabo (13, p. 606) and Herodotus (7, 42) make it an Athenian colony (comp. Pausan. 4, 27,5; Xenoph. Anab. 7:8, 8; Livy, 37:19). Stephanus Byzantinus follows Aristotle, and mentions Adramys, the brother of Croesus, as its founder (hence the name). This last is more probably the true account, especially as an adjacent district bore the name of Lydia. According, however, to Eustathius and other commentators, the place existed before the Trojan war, and was no other than the Pedasus of Homer (Pliny 5:33). Thucydides (5:1; 8:108) also mentions a settlement made here by those inhabitants of Delos who had been expelled by the Athenians, B.C. 422. The city became a place of importance under the kings of Pergamus, and continued so in the time of the Roman power, although it suffered severely during the war with Mithridates (Strabo, 605). Under the Romans it was the seat of the Conventus Juridicus for the province of Asia (q.v.), i.e. the court-town of the district (Pliny, 5:32). It is mentioned in Scripture only ( Acts 27:2) from the fact that the ship in which Paul embarked at Caesarea as a prisoner on his way to Italy, belonged to Adramyttium ( Πλο ‹ Ον Ἀδραμυττηνόν v. r. Ἀτραμυτηνόν , see Wetstein in loc.). It was rare to find a vessel going direct from Palestine to Italy. The usual course, therefore, was to embark in some ship bound to one of the ports of Asia Minor, and there go on board a vessel sailing for Italy. This was the course taken by the centurion who had charge of Paul. Ships of Adramyttium must have been frequent on this coast, for it was a place of considerable traffic. It lay on the great Roman road between Assos, Troas, and the Hellespont on one side, and Pergamus, Ephesus, and Miletus on the other, and was connected by similar roads with the interior of the country. The ship of Adramyttium took them to Myra, in Lycia, and here they embarked in an Alexandrian vessel bound for Italy (see Conybeare and Howson, Life of St. Paul, 2, 310). Some commentators (Hammond, Grotius, Witsius, etc.) strangely suppose that Adrametum (see Tzchucke, ad Mel. 1, 7, 2) in Africa (Pliny 5:3; Ptolmy 4:3; Appian, Syr. 33:47; comp. Shaw, Trav. p. 96 sq.) was the port to which the ship belonged. Adramyttium is still called Edramit or Adramiti (Fellows, Asia Minor, p. 39; comp. Pococke, Trav. II, 2, 16). It is built on a hill, contains about 1000 houses, and is still a place of some commerce (Turner, Tour, 3, 265). The general appearance of the place, however, is poor, the houses being meanly built, and inhabited principally by Greek fishermen (Buisching, Erdbesch. 5, 1, 91). From medals struck in this town, it appears that it celebrated the worship of Castor and Pollux ( Acts 28:11), as also that of Jupiter and Minerva (whose effigies appear in the preceding cut).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ad - ra - mit´i - um ( Ἀδραμύττιον , Adramúttion  ; for other forms see Thayer's lexicon): An ancient city of Mysia in the Roman Province of Asia. The only reference in the New Testament to it is in  Acts 27:2 which says that Paul, while being taken a prisoner from Caesarea to Rome, embarked upon a ship belonging to Adramyttium.

The city, with a good harbor, stood at the head of the Gulf of Adramyttium facing the island of Lesbos, and at the base of Mt. Ida. Its early history is obscure. While some authors fancy that it was the Pedasus of Homer, others suppose that it was founded by Adramys, the brother of the wealthy Croesus; probably a small Athenian colony existed there long before the time of Adramys. When Pergamus became the capital of Asia, Adramyttium grew to be a city of considerable importance, and the metropolis of the Northwest part of the province. There the assizes were held. The coins which the peasants pick up in the surrounding fields, and which are frequently aids in determining the location and history of the cities of Asia Minor, were struck at Adramyttium as late as the 3rd century ad, and sometimes in connection with Ephesus. Upon them the effigies of Castor and Pollux appear, showing that Adramyttium was the seat of worship of these deities.

The ancient city with its harbor has entirely disappeared, but on a hill, somewhat farther inland, is a village of about one thousand houses bearing the name Edremid, a corruption of the ancient name Adramys. The miserable wooden huts occupied by Greek fishermen and by Turks are surrounded by vineyards and olive trees, hence the chief trade is in olive oil, raisins and timber. In ancient times Adramyttium was noted for a special ointment which was prepared there (Pliny, NH , xiii.2.5).

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Adramyt´tium, a sea-port town in the province of Mysia in Asia Minor, opposite the isle of Lesbos, and an Athenian colony. It is mentioned in Scripture only, from the fact that the ship in which Paul embarked at Caesarea as a prisoner on his way to Italy, belonged to Adramyttium ( Acts 27:2). It was rare to find a vessel going direct from Palestine to Italy. The usual course, therefore, was to embark in some ship bound to one of the ports of Asia Minor, and there go on board a vessel sailing for Italy. This was the course taken by the centurion who had charge of Paul. The ship of Adramyttium took them to Myra in Lycia, and here they embarked in an Alexandrian vessel bound for Italy. Adramyttium is still called Adramyt. It is built on a hill, contains about 1000 houses, and is still a place of some commerce.