APOLLONIA

apollonia, the name of more than thirty cities of antiquity. the most important are the following: (1) an illyrian city (known as apollonia [greek: kat epidamnon] or [greek: pros epidamno]) on the right bank of the aous, founded by the corinthians and corcyraeans. it soon became a place of increasing commercial prosperity, as the most convenient link between brundusium and northern greece, and as one of the starting-points of the via egnatia. it was an important military post in the wars against philip and during the civil wars of pompey and caesar, and towards the close of the roman republic acquired fame as a seat of literature and philosophy. here augustus was being educated when the death of caesar called him to rome. it seems to have sunk with the rise of aulon, and few remains of its ruins are to be found. the monastery of pollina stands on a hill which probably is part of the site of the old city. (2) a thracian city on the black sea (afterwards sozopolis, and now sizeboli), colonized by the milesians, and famous for its colossal statue of apollo by calamis, which lucullus removed to rome.