LAMPSACUS

ancient Greek city on the Asiatic shore of the Hellespont, best known for its wines, and the chief seat of the worship of Priapus, a god of procreation and fertility. Colonized in 654 BC by Ionian Phocaea, the city had a fine harbour. It took part in the Ionian revolt against Persia (499) and later joined the Delian League. Upon the fall of Athens in 405, Lampsacus came under Persian control until Alexander freed it with the rest of Greece during his invasion in 334. The city, which became the site of one of Alexander's mints, seems to have been prosperous, as indicated by the high tribute it paid to the Delian League.