Squaring Nemesis: Alexander’s Dream, the Oracle, and the Foundation of the New Smyrna

Abstract

In the 7th book of the Periegesis, Pausanias devotes a long digression to the Ionian migration in Asia Minor, focusing briefly on the story of Smyrna, whose territory originally belonged to the Aeolian settlers and was then occupied, at the beginning of the 7th century, by the Ionians from nearby Colophon. The arrival of Alexander the Great in the region marked the beginning of a new phase for Smyrna. Pausanias reports that the Macedonian king, on his way back from a hunting expedition on Mount Pagos, arrived at the sanctuary of the Nemeseis. There, the divinities appeared to him in a dream telling him to find a city and to bring there the inhabitants of the older polis. The Smyrnaeans then sent the theoroi to Claros to solicit the advice of the god, who reassured them about the success of the enterprise. The cult of the double Nemesis of Smyrna has, over time, aroused the interest of various scholars who have endeavoured to interpret the nature of this divine power. A new analysis of the issue that takes into account the processes of invention of the tradition will lead to a better understanding of the sanctuaries’ role in the rebirth of the city, and of the meaning of the double Nemesis cult, also as it pertains to Alexander.