Adramyttium
Adramyttium is an ancient city mentioned in the New Testament, located in the region of Asia Minor in modern-day Turkey. Known today as Oren. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.
Biblical History
Adramyttium enters the biblical narrative in Acts 27:2 as the home port of the ship on which the apostle Paul began his fateful final voyage to Rome. When the centurion Julius arranged transportation for Paul and his fellow prisoners, he secured passage on "a ship of Adramyttium about to sail to ports along the coast of Asia." This vessel carried Paul northward from Caesarea Maritima along the Levantine and Anatolian coasts, stopping at Sidon and then Myra in Lycia before the party transferred to an Alexandrian grain ship bound for Rome. Though Paul's vessel was merely sailing toward its home port rather than directly to Rome, its route reflected the established commercial shipping lanes of the eastern Mediterranean. Adramyttium itself, while never the focus of direct apostolic ministry recorded in Acts, is thus woven into the providential narrative of Paul's journey to bear witness before Caesar — a journey Paul had been assured by divine vision he would complete (Acts 23:11; 27:24). The city's commercial maritime connections exemplify the infrastructure of the Roman Empire that facilitated the spread of the gospel.
Archaeological & Historical Notes
Adramyttium (Greek: Adramyttion) was a prosperous port city on the Aegean coast of Mysia in northwestern Asia Minor, modern Turkey. It is identified with the modern town of Edremit, situated near the Gulf of Edremit (ancient Gulf of Adramyttium). The site features ancient remains including traces of the city's harbor infrastructure and Hellenistic-Roman urban layout. The city was a significant commercial and administrative center, known for its export of timber from the Ida mountain range and its trade connections across the Aegean. While systematic excavation has been limited due to modern occupation of the area, surveys and chance finds have yielded Hellenistic and Roman period artifacts confirming its ancient prosperity and importance.
Verse Appearances (1)
Acts
Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →