Ancona

Ancona (/æŋˈkoʊnə/, also US: /ænˈ-, ɑːnˈ-/; Italian: [aŋˈkoːna] ^ⓘ) is a city and a seaport in the Marches region of central Italy, with a population of around 101,997 as of 2015^[update]. Ancona is the capital of the homonymous province and of the region. The city is located 280 km (170 mi) northeast of Rome, on the Adriatic Sea, between the slopes of the two extremities of the promontory of Monte Conero, Monte Astagno and Monte Guasco. The hilly nature around Ancona is a strong contrast to the flatter coastline in areas further north.

Ancona is one of the main ports on the Adriatic Sea, especially for passenger traffic, and is the main economic and demographic centre of the region.

Before the Greek colonization, the territory was occupied by separated communities of the Picentes tribes.

Ancona took a more urban shape by Greek settlers from Syracuse in about 387 BC, who gave it its name: Ankṓn, then Ancona. This toponym stems from the Ancient Greek word ἀγκών (ankṓn), meaning "elbow" or "bend"; the harbour to the east of the town was originally protected only by the promontory on the north, shaped like an elbow. Greek merchants established a Tyrian purple dye factory here.

The acropolis, with the temple of Aphrodite, was located on the top of the Guasco hill, on the site where the Ancona Cathedral stands today. Another temple, dedicated to Diomedes, stood on the seashore, at the end of the city's promontory. Diomedes was considered the mythical oikistes of the colony.

Ankón had its own coinage with the punning device of the bent arm holding a myrtle sprig and the Gemini constellation, reference to the Dioscuri, protectors of sailors. On the reverse was the head of Aphrodite, goddess of good navigation.

Ancona is still called the "Doric city" and the inhabitants are referred to as "Dorici", because it was a colony of Syracuse, which in turn was a colony founded by the Dorians of Corinth.

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