Khyrisa
It is also known as Göztepe Mound.
- Type
- Ancient City, Ruins
- Culture
- Ancient Greek, Hellenistic, Tricky
- Century
- 1st century BC
- Status
- Accessible
Khyrisa (Khrysa) is a settlement serving the sanctuary of Apollon Smintheus, located about 50 km east of the city, spreading over an area of about 3 acres, sloping towards the north. The name of the city is probably derived from the famous priest of Smintheus, Khyrises.
Smintheus means mouse, that is, the god of mice, Apollo… (Apollon Smintheus) is the sacred animal of Apollo.
It is stated in the book Geographica, written approximately 2.000 years ago by the famous geographer and traveler Strabon, that when the city was besieged by the Ionians coming from Greece, a large number of field mice emerged from the soil at night and gnawed and tore the leather parts of the soldiers' weapons and equipment, and that the Ionians who besieged the city lost the war because of this.
Homer narrates in the Iliad as follows; The Greek army going to war in Troy plundered the cities on the way and kidnapped women and girls. The Achaean king Agamemnon, who was the leader of the Greek army that stopped by Chrysa in Gülpınar, kidnapped the daughter of Chryses, the priest of the temple of Apollon Smintheus. The father went to Agamemnon many times to get his daughter and brought him gifts, but he could not get the girl back. He prayed to his god Apollo and asked him to bring Chryseis back. Angered, Apollo inflicted a plague on the Greek army with his arrows, transmitted by rats. The Greek army was destroyed by the plague. Chrysa was brought to Gülpınar under the supervision of Odysseus, and sacrifices were made to the god Apollo in the temple as gratitude. Apollo, who also helped people against rats and the damage they caused, killed the rats that were damaging the grains and warehouses with his arrows.
It was registered by the Çanakkale Cultural Heritage Preservation Regional Board Directorate with the decision dated 16.10.2018 and numbered 4975.[1]
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