Once Again on the Antique Name of the River Arda
Once Again on the Antique Name of the River Arda

Summary/Abstract: The paper deals with the identification of the present day river Arda in Thrace. Contemporary studies offer for it four different names, known from ancient sources: Ἁρπησσός, Ἄρζος, Ἀρτησκός and Ἀρτάκης. Despite the appearance of Arda as Ἁρπησσός in the Barrington Atlas (map No. 51) this could not be the Thracian name of the river because the distance between Arda and Philippi is much greater than the one day-long journey between Ἁρπησσός and Philippi in Appianus’ text. The author supports D. P. Dimitrov’s and V. Velkov’s view that Arda is Ἀρτάκης in the Continuator of Theophanes’ text, but rejects Velkovs opinion that the name Ἀρτάκης is a variant of Ἀρτησκός. According to the authers opinion Arteskos should refer either to a confluent of Ergene (the present-day Teke River) or to some coastal river the estuary of which could not be further than the bay of Burgas to the north. As most probable seems that Ἀρτησκός could apply to present-day Fakiyska River.

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