Damastion

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Damastion (Greek: Δαμάστιον) was an ancient city in the area somewhere near present-day Lake Ohrid^{[citation needed]}.

The city was in the borderlands of Illyria and Paeonia, more on the side of the latter. The exact site of the city is not yet identified with certainty, but the name is attested in Strabo^[1]. However, he mentions Damastion without giving its position (VII, 7, 8; VIII, 6, 16).

 Location

There are number of hypotheses^[2][3] about its location somewhere near Resen in ancient Paionia^[4], modern Republic of Macedonia. Damastion coins findings (that have inscription “ΔΑΜΑΣΤΙΝΩΝ“) originate from south Serbia, east Macedonia and west Bulgaria.

The most recent location that was proposed was at Serbian archeological site Kale-Krševica, south-east of Vranje (southern Serbia) ^[5] where 5th century BC foundations

of a Ancient Greek urban town has been unearthed.^[6][7]

Dr. Petar Popović from the Institute of Archeology in Belgrade says that Kale-Krševica could very likely be the city of Damastion.^[7]

History

In 4th century BC the city (the Damastini) were subjects to king Bardyllis^[8] and its inhabitants were called the Damastini (not a specific Illyrian tribe). The city was known in antiquity for its silver mines, whose exact location, like that of the city itself, is today unknown^[9][10]. In the 431 BC Greeks from Aegina had colonised the city^[11]. The circulation of the coins of Damastion included Dardania (Metohija and the Morava valley) and beyond, and to the west the southern Adriatic coast^[12]. The city and its silver mines were captured by Philip II of Macedon after he defeated Dardanian King Bardylis^[13

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damastion