Myrcinus or Myrkinos (
Ancient Greek: Μύρκινος[1] or Μύρκιννος[2]) was an
ancient Greek city located in Macedonian
Thrace, in the region of
Edonis between the
Strymon and the
Nestos Rivers,[3] on the left bank of the Strymon. It was within the territory of the
Edonians, a Thracian tribe,[4] and was founded as a
polis by colonists from
Miletus in 497 BCE.[5] The colonists were led by
Histiaios[6] (already a Tyrant of Miletus), whom
Darius had allowed to build a city in reward for his help. Its site offered great advantages to settlers, as it contained an abundant supply of timber for shipbuilding, as well as silver mines.[7]Aristagoras retired to this place, and, soon after landing, perished before some Thracian town which he was besieging.[8][9] Afterwards, it had fallen into the hands of the Edoni; but on the murder of
Pittacus, chief of that people, it surrendered to
Brasidas[10] after he captured
Amphipolis,
Oesyme and
Galepsus in 422 BCE.[11] During the
Byzantine empire it was known as Doxompos (Δοξόμπος) or Doxompus (Δοξόμπους).
Its site is near the modern village renamed Myrkinos in honour of the ancient town.[12][13]