The exact location of the old city is still unknown,
though we know with certainty that it was on the plain somewhere between
the port and the plateau. Unfortunately no serious attempt has been made
to find her (few excavations have only taken place in the Hellenistic
polis). In our opinion the most probable spot to place the city is near
the slopes of the eastward side of the plateau and here are some
arguments:
We know from sources that the Archaic city was walled, as well their
port which was walled separately. We also know that in order to defend
this walled city it was of the highest importance that the Acropolis was
secured, as Xenophon tell us, who also inform us that the city of Sikyon
was consisting from three parts: the harbor-town, the city and its
Acropolis. The only possible and logical place we can imagine the city
is near the slopes of the eastward plateau. The Acropolis itself was
protecting the city from behind giving easy access to the plateau, in
case of need.
We have also the words of Demetrios Poliorketes,
who told Sikyonians "to build the city near the city".
Sikyonians did exactly that and inhabited the front site of the eastward
plateau.
Other arguments are, that placing the city in this site, there is no
need for big wall fortification. Also, if the city was very close to the
port, there would be no need for separate fortification.
Mosaics were found in the west of Asopos river site, which
support this argument.
Ancient Sikyon was a very important city in the old
times and we can see that from the various stories in myths.
Kallimachos mentions Sikyon as the place for the division of
honors between the Olympian Gods, when they came victorious in the
battle with the Giants and Hesiod tell us that Mekone (Sikyon)
was the place in which Prometheus tricked the Gods by giving them the
inferior parts of the sacrificial victims and keeping the best for men.
The ancients believed that it was in Sikyon Prometheus brought
the fire to mankind.
We know little of the history of the ancient city and
mainly from the king lists of Pausanias and Eusebios.
According to Pausanias the first king of Sikyon and the founder of the
city was Aigialeos and the city was named Aigialeia
and the whole Peloponnese Aigialos. He build
the city on the plain and the citadel at the eastward edge of the
plateau (where, as Pausanias says, the sanctuary of Athena was).
His son Europs succeeded him and after him Telchines,
from whom the city probably took the name, Telchinia.
His son Apis reached at such height of power,
that all the territory south of Isthmos was called Apia.
After Apis came his son Thelxion, from
him Aegyros and then Thurimachos
and Leukippos. Leukippos did not bear a son
but a daughter Calchinia which according to
the story mated with Poseidon. Leukippos reared the child and handed his
kingdom. His name was Peratos. His son Plemnaeos
had the following sad and wonderful at the same time story. All his
children died at birth. At last Demeter took pity of him and came at
Aigialeia as a strange woman and helped his wife to bear and
reared a son for him, his name was Orthopolis.
His daughter born a child to Apollo his name Koronos
who had two sons, Korax and the younger Lamedon.
Korax died without issue and at these times Epopeus
from Thessaly became king. In his reign the first hostile army invaded
the land. The reason for the invasion was the daughter of Nykteus
of Thebes, Antiope ,who was famous for her
beauty among the Greeks. Epopeus abducted Antiope and her father Nykteus
raised an army and invaded Sikyon. During the battle, which was won by
the Sikyonians, Epopeus and Nykteus were wounded, Nykteus was carried to
Thebes where he died. Before his death, he appointed as regent of Thebes
his brother Lykos and made him promise to
raise an even larger army and take vengeance and punish his daughter, in
case that she was taken. In the meantime Epopeus after the battle he
offered sacrifice and started building a temple to Athena, as
thanks offering. When the temple had finished, he asked through prayers,
if it was liked by the goddess. It is said that after this, olive oil
flowed before the temple. Epopeus having neglected his wound, died soon
after and was buried in front of the altar of Athena.
Lamedon, the next king, gave the order to
return Antiope to Thebes. During her trip she delivered two boys, Zethos
and Amphion. Lamedon married an Athenian woman Pheno
of Klytiou. Later being at war with the Archandron and Architelin,
sons of Achaeos from Argos, he allied with Sikyon
of Attica and gave him his daughter Zeuxippe
for wife. Sikyon became later king and the city was named after him and
the land was called Sikyonia. His
daughter Chthonophyle had a son with
Hermes, named Polybos. Afterwards she married Pleias,
the eponymous hero of Pleious, and gave birth to Androdamas.
Polybos daughter, Lysianassa married Talaos,
the son of Bias, king of the Argives and had a
son Adrastos, who fled from Argos to the home
of his grandfather Polybos and became king of Sikyon after his death.
Later he returned to Argos and left the throne of Sikyon vacant and it
was taken by Ianiscos descendant of Klytiou.
After his death was succeeded by Phaestos,
said to have been one of the children of Heracles. Phaestos moved to
Krete and Zeuxippos became king, the son of
Apollo and the nymph Syllis. The next king was the grandson of Phaestos,
Hippolytos and during his reign, he agreed to
become subject to Mycenaeans, after Agamemnon led an army against
Sikyon. On the reign of his son Lacestades,
Sikyon was attacked at night by Phalkes son of
Temenus and the Dorians. Lacestades, been a Heracleid, was allowed to
rule the city with Phalkes.
Sikyonians participated in the Trojan War but the names of the kings
differ in the sources. According to Pausanias, Hippolytos the king of
Sikyon was the vassal of Agamemnon and according to Eusebios was
Polypheides and according to Ibykos it was Zeuxippos. Eusebios differs
also in other details, as for example, he says that after the reign of
Zeuxippos, Sikyon was ruled by the priests of Apollo Karneios and lasted
until the seventh priest, who was unable to keep his post because of
economic difficulties.
