Tro'as. The city from which St. Paul first sailed, in consequence of a divine
intimation, to carry the gospel from Asia to Europe. Act_16:8; Act_16:11.
It is mentioned on other occasions. Act_20:5-6;
2Co_2:12-13; 2Ti_4:13. Its full name was Alexandria Troas, (Liv. Xxxv.
42), and sometimes it was called simply, Alexandria; sometimes simply, Troas.
It was first built by Antigonus, under the name of Antigonea Troas, and
peopled with the inhabitants of some neighboring cities. Afterward, it was
embellished by Lysimachus, and named, Alexandria Troas. Its situation was on
the coast of Mysia, opposite the southeast extremity of the island of Tenedos.
Under the Romans, it was one of the most important towns of the province of
Asia. In the time of St. Paul, it was a colonia with the Jus Italicum.
The modern name is Eski-Stamboul, with considerable ruins. We can still
trace the harbor in a basin, about 400 feet long and 200 feet broad.
Source:
Smith’s Bible Dictionary
Troas
trō´as (Τρῳάς,
Trōas): The chief city in the Northwest of Asia Minor, on the
coast of Mysia in the Roman province of Asia. From here, according to Act_16:8, Paul sailed. Here, also, according to Act_20:5-12, Paul raised Eutychus from the dead.
The name Troas was not confined to the town itself, but it was also applied to
the surrounding district, or to that part of the coast which is now generally
known as the Troad. In its early history it bore the name of Antigona Troas,
which was given it by its founder Antigonus, but after 300 BC it was generally
known to the classical writers as Alexander Troas, a name given to it by
Lysimachus. For a time the Seleucid kings made their homes at Troas. Later,
when the city became free, it struck its own coins, of which vast numbers are
found; a common type is one upon which is stamped a grazing horse. In 133 BC
Troas came into the possession of the Romans, and later, during the reign of
Augustus, it was made a Roman colonia, independent of the Roman governor
of the province of Asia. Its citizens were then exempt from poll and land tax.
During Byzantine times Troas was the seat of a bishopric.
The ruins of Troas, now bearing the name of Eski Stambul,
are extensive, giving evidence of the great size and importance of the ancient
city. They have, however, long been used as a quarry, and the columns of the
public buildings were taken to Constantinople for use in the construction of
the mosque known as the Yeni Valideh Jami. The site is now
mostly overgrown with oaks, but from the higher portions of the ruins there is
an extensive view over the sea and the neighboring islands. It is only with
difficulty that one may now trace the city walls and locate the square towers
which flanked them at intervals. Within the walls are the remains of theater,
the temple and the gymnasium, which was provided with baths. The port from
which Paul sailed was constructed by means of a mole, with an outer and an
inner basin. The most imposing of the ruins, however, is a large aqueduct which
was built in the time of Trajan.
Source:
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Troas
A city on the coast of Mysia, in the north-west of Asia Minor, named
after ancient Troy, which was at some little distance from it (about 4 miles)
to the north. Here Paul, on his second missionary journey, saw the vision of a
“man of Macedonia,” who appeared to him, saying, “Come over, and help us” (Act_16:8-11). He visited this place also on
other occasions, and on one of these visits he left his cloak and some books
there (2Co_2:12; 2Ti_4:13). The ruins of Troas extend over many
miles, the site being now mostly covered with a forest of oak trees. The modern
name of the ruins is Eski Stamboul i.e., Old Constantinople.
Source:
Easton’s Bible Dictionary