Pitane

• A city on the Aeolic coast of Asia Minor, now Sandarlik, Mel. 1, 18, 1; Ov. M. 7, 357.—Hence,
• II Pĭtănaeus, a, um, adj., of Pitane, Pitanean: Apollonius Pitanaeus, Plin. 29, 6, 38, § 117.—
• III A town in Laconia, on the Eurotas, Plin. 4, 5, 8, § 16; Aus. Epigr. 24, 3.

(Πιτάνη), a daughter of the river god Eurotas, became by Poseidon the mother of Evadne. From her the town of Pitana had its name. (Pind. O. 6.46.) [L.S]

PITANE (Πιτάνη: Eth. Πιταναῖος), an ancient city on the coast of Aeolis in Asia Minor, was situated near the mouth of the river Evenus on the bay of Elaea. It was one of the eleven ancient Aeolian settlements, and possessed considerable commercial advantages in having two harbours. (Hdt. 1.149; Scylax, p. 37; Strab. xiii. pp. 581, 607, 614.) It was the birthplace of the academic philosopher Arcesilaus, and in the reign of Titus it suffered severely from an earthquake. (Oros. 7.12; comp. Ptol. 5.2.5; Steph. B. s. v.; Plin. Nat. 5.32, 35.49; Ov. Met. 7.357) The town is still mentioned in Hierocles, and its site is universally identified with the modern Tchandeli or Sanderli. Pliny (l. c.) mentions in its vicinity a river Canaius, which is not noticed by any other writer; but it may possibly be the river Pitanes, spoken of by Ptolemy (Ptol. 3.2.3), and which seems to derive its name from the town of Pitane.

PITANE [SPARTA]

(Πιτάνη). A seaport town of Mysia, on the coast of the Elaitic Gulf; the birthplace of the academic philosopher Arcesilaüs.

Aiolian city on a small peninsula NE of Phokaia, near the mouth of the Kaikos (Hdt. 1.149; Strab. 13.614; Ov., Met. 7.357). It was not important in history, but it is the only Aiolian site in Anatolia to produce valuable archaeological material. Excavations in the 19th c. at the necropolis on the isthmus of the peninsula yielded a Mycenaean stirrup vase and Greek archaic pottery now in the Istanbul Museum, and the town itself has produced much terra sigillata.

Recent excavations in the archaic necropolis yielded mainly vases of ca. 625-500 B.C., but also some Geometric and Protogeometric pottery, fine specimens of Chian pottery, and a large number of orientalizing vases from the first half of the 6th c. (Istanbul Museum and Izmir Museum). An archaic statue discovered accidentally is now in the museum at Bergama.

S. Reinach, Chroniques d'Orient (1896) 9f = RA (1883:1) 363f; G. Perrot & C. Chipiez, Histoire de l'art (1882-1911) VI, 923f; S. Loeschke, AM 27 (1912) 344ff (terra sigillata); K. Schuchhardt, Altertümer von Pergamon I, 1 (1912) 998M; H. T. Bossert, Altanatolien (1942) fig. 7 (Mycenaean vase); J. Keil, RE XX: 2, 18; L. Robert, Villes anatoliennes 172, 6; E. Akurgal, AJA 66 (1962) 378fI.

• Paus. 3.16.9
• A Spartan township: Hdt. 3.55
• the Pitanatians: Paus. 3.14.2
• a "Pitanate battalion" in the Lacedaemonian army at Plataea: Hdt. 9.53(See Amompharetus)