For the Greek god who was patron deity of this river, see Meander (mythology)
The Büyük Menderes River ("Great Meander", historically the Maeander or Meander, from Ancient Greek: Μαίανδρος, Maíandros; Turkish: Büyük Menderes Irmağı), is a river in southwestern Turkey. It rises in west central Turkey near Dinar before flowing west through the Büyük Menderes graben until reaching the Aegean Sea in the proximity of the ancient Ionian city Miletus. The river was well known for its sinuous, curving pattern, and gives its name to the common term used to describe these characteristic bends in rivers.
The river has its sources not far from Celaenae in Phrygia (now Dinar),[1] where it gushed forth in a park of Cyrus.[2] According to some[3] its sources were the same as those of the river Marsyas; but this is irreconcilable with Xenophon, according to whom the sources of the two rivers were only near each other, the Marsyas rising in a royal palace.[4] Others[5] state that the Maeander flowed out of a lake on Mount Aulocrene. William Martin Leake[6] reconciles all these apparently different statements by the remark that both the Maeander and the Marsyas have their origin in the lake on Mount Aulocrene, above Celaenae, but that the issue at different parts of the mountain below the lake.
Courseedit
Map of the river's mouth and the evolution of silting of Miletus Bay during Antiquity.
The Maeander was so celebrated in antiquity for its numerous windings, that its classical name "Maeander" became, and still is, proverbial.[7] Its whole course has a southwesterly direction on the south of the range of Mount Messogis. South of Tripolis it receives the waters of the Lycus, whereby it becomes a river of some importance. Near Carura it passes from Phrygia into Caria, where it flows in its tortuous course through the Maeandrian plain,[8] and finally discharges itself in the Gulf of Icaros (an arm of the Aegean Sea), between the ancient Greek cities Priene and Myus, opposite to the Ionian city of Miletus, from which its mouth is only 10 stadia distant.[9]
Tributariesedit
The tributaries of the Maeander include the Orgyas, Marsyas, Cludrus, Lethaeus, and Gaeson, in the north; and the Obrimas, Lycus, Harpasus, and a second Marsyas in the south.
Physical descriptionedit
The Maeander is a deep river,[10] but not very broad. In many parts its depth equals its breadth and, so, it is navigable only by small craft.[11] It frequently overflows its banks and, as a result of the quantity of mud it deposits at its mouth, the coast has been pushed about 20 or 30 stadia (about 4 to 6 kilometers in modern units) further into the sea and several small islands off the coast have become united with the mainland.[12]
Media related to Büyük Menderes River at Wikimedia Commons
January 01, 1970
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For the Greek god who was patron deity of this river see Meander mythology The Buyuk Menderes River Great Meander historically the Maeander or Meander from Ancient Greek Maiandros Maiandros Turkish Buyuk Menderes Irmagi is a river in southwestern Turkey It rises in west central Turkey near Dinar before flowing west through the Buyuk Menderes graben until reaching the Aegean Sea in the proximity of the ancient Ionian city Miletus The river was well known for its sinuous curving pattern and gives its name to the common term used to describe these characteristic bends in rivers Buyuk Menderes RiverMaeander Meander MaiandrosNative nameBuyuk Menderes Irmagi Turkish LocationCountryTurkeyCitiesNazilli Aydin SokePhysical characteristicsSource locationDinar Afyonkarahisar Province coordinates38 04 15 N 30 10 37 E 38 07083 N 30 17694 E 38 07083 30 17694 elevation880 m 2 890 ft MouthAegean Sea locationAydin Province coordinates37 32 24 N 27 10 08 E 37 54000 N 27 16889 E 37 54000 27 16889 elevation0 m 0 ft Length548 km 341 mi Basin size25 000 km2 9 700 sq mi Basin featuresTributaries leftCuruksu River Akcay River Cine River Contents 1 Modern geography 2 Ancient geography 2 1 Sources 2 2 Course 2 3 Tributaries 2 4 Physical description 2 5 Mythology 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 6 Attribution 7 External linksModern geography editThe river rises in a spring near Dinar and flows to Lake Isikli After passing the Adiguzel Dam and the Cindere Dam the river flows past Nazilli Aydin and Soke before it drains into the Aegean Sea Ancient geography editThe Maeander was a celebrated river of Caria in Asia Minor It appears earliest in the Catalog of Trojans of Homer s Iliad along with Miletus and Mycale Sources edit The river has its sources not far from Celaenae in Phrygia now Dinar 1 where it gushed forth in a park of Cyrus 2 According to some 3 its sources were the same as those of the river Marsyas but this is irreconcilable with Xenophon according to whom the sources of the two rivers were only near each other the Marsyas rising in a royal palace 4 Others 5 state that the Maeander flowed out of a lake on Mount Aulocrene William Martin Leake 6 reconciles all these apparently different statements by the remark that both the Maeander and the Marsyas have their origin in the lake on Mount Aulocrene above Celaenae but that the issue at different parts of the mountain below the lake Course edit nbsp Map of the river s mouth and the evolution of silting of Miletus Bay during Antiquity The Maeander was so celebrated in antiquity for its numerous windings that its classical name Maeander became and still is proverbial 7 Its whole course has a southwesterly direction on the south of the range of Mount Messogis South of Tripolis it receives the waters of the Lycus whereby it becomes a river of some importance Near Carura it passes from Phrygia into Caria where it flows in its tortuous course through the Maeandrian plain 8 and finally discharges itself in the Gulf of Icaros an arm of the Aegean Sea between the ancient Greek cities Priene and Myus opposite to the Ionian city of Miletus from which its mouth is only 10 stadia distant 9 Tributaries edit The tributaries of the Maeander include the Orgyas Marsyas Cludrus Lethaeus and Gaeson in the north and the Obrimas Lycus Harpasus and a second Marsyas in the south Physical description edit The Maeander is a deep river 10 but not very broad In many parts its depth equals its breadth and so it is navigable only by small craft 11 It frequently overflows its banks and as a result of the quantity of mud it deposits at its mouth the coast has been pushed about 20 or 30 stadia about 4 to 6 kilometers in modern units further into the sea and several small islands off the coast have become united with the mainland 12 Mythology edit The associated river god was also called Meander one of the sons of Oceanus and Tethys 13 There was a legend about a subterranean connection between the Maeander and the Alpheus River in Elis 14 See also editKucuk Menderes Battle of the MeanderNotes edit Herodotus Histories Book 7 section 26 Xenophon Anabasis Book 1 Chapter 2 Strabo xii p 578 Maximus of Tyre viii 38 Xenophon Anabasis 1 2 8 Pliny v 31 Solinus 40 7 and Martianus Capella 6 p 221 Asia Minor p 158 amp c Hesiod Theogony line 339 Strabo Geography Book 12 Chapter 8 Section 15 Pausanias viii 41 3 Ovid Met viii 162 amp c Livy xxxviii 13 Seneca Herc Fur 683 amp c Phoen 605 comp Strabo xiv p 648 xv p 691 Pliny l c Pausanias ii 5 2 Niketas Choniates p 125 Livy l c Strabo xii p 579 xiv p 636 Pausanias viii 24 5 Thucydides viii 17 Hesiod Theogony 334 1 Pausanias il 5 2 References editHerodotus 1910 History of Herodotus Translated by George Rawlinson via Wikisource Hesiod 1914 Theogony Translated by Hugh Gerard Evelyn White via Wikisource Strabo H C Hamilton W Falconer eds Geography Tufts University The Perseus Digital Library Xenophon Anabasis Translated by Henry Graham Dakyns via Wikisource Xenophon Anabasis Harvard University Press Cambridge Massachusetts William Heinemann Ltd London 1980 OCLC 10290977 ISBN 0 674 99100 1 Thonemann P The Maeander Valley A historical geography from Antiquity to Byzantium Cambridge 2011 Greek Culture in the Roman World Series Attribution edit nbsp This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Smith William ed 1854 1857 MAEANDER Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography London John Murray External links edit nbsp Media related to Buyuk Menderes River at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Buyuk Menderes River amp oldid 1220182845, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
