Issa
- an island in the Adriatic Sea, near Illyria, with a town of the same name, now Lissa, Plin. 3, 26, 30, § 152; Caes. B. C. 3, 9; Liv. 43, 9. —
- II Derivv.
- A Issaeus, a, um, adj., of or belonging to Issa, Issaean; subst.: Issaei, ōrum, m., the inhabitants of Issa, Liv. 31, 45. —
- B Issaĭcus, a, um, adj., Issaean, Liv. 32, 21.—
- C Issensis, e, adj., Issaean: naves, Liv. 43, 9.—Subst.: Issenses, ium, m., the inhabitants of Issa, Liv. 45, 26.
ISSA(Ἴσσι, Ptol. 2.16.14; Agathem. 1.5; Pomp. Mela, 2.7.13; Plin. Nat. 3.26; Steph. B.; Itin. Anton.; Pent. Tab.;Isia, Geog. Rav.; Ἴης, Const. Porph. de Adm. Imp. 36: Eth. and Adj. Ἴσσευς, Issaeus, Issensis, Issaicus: Lissa), one of the most well known of the islands in the Adriatic, off the coast of Liburnia. (Strab. 7. p. 315.) It is mentioned by Scylax (p. 8) as a Grecian colony, which, according to Scymnus of Chios (1. 412), was sent from Syracuse. Diodorus (Diod. 15.13) relates that in B.C. 387 Dionysius the elder, in his attempts to secure to himself the sovereignty of the Adriatic, assisted the Parians in founding colonies at Issa and Pharos. The island was besieged by Agron, king of Illyria, and the inhabitants applied to Rome for protection, when a message was sent by the Romans to Agron, requiring him to desist from molesting the friends of the republic. In the mean time, B.C. 232, Agron died; and his widow Teuta, having succeeded to the throne, resolved on pressing the siege of Issa. The Roman envoys required her to cease from hostilities, when, in defiance of the law of nations, she put one of them to death. This brought on the First Illyrian War, B.C. 229; one of the consequences of which was the liberation of Issa. (Polyb. ii..8; App. Illyr. 7.) That Issa remained free for a long time is proved by its coins, which also show that the island was famous for its wine (comp. Athen. 1. p. 22), bearing, as they do, an amphoraon one side, and on the other a vine with leaves. (Eckhel, vol. 2. p. 159.) The inhabitants were expert seamen, and their beaked ships, Lembi Issaici,rendered the Romans especial service in the war with Philip of Macedon. (Liv. 31.45, 37.16, 42.48.) They were exempted from the payment of tribute (Liv. 45.8), and were reckoned as Roman citizens (Plin. Nat. 3.21). In the time of Caesar the chief town of this island appears to have been very flourishing.
The island now called Lissarises from the sea, so that it is seen at a considerable distance; it has two ports, the larger one on the NE. side, with a town of the same name: the soil is barren, and wine forms its chief produce. Lissais memorable in modern times for the victory obtained by Sir W. Hoste over the French squadron in 1811. (Sir G. Wilkinson, Dalmatic and Montenegro, vol. 1. p. 110; Neigebaur, Die Sudslavem, pp. 110-115.) COIN OF ISSA.
[E.B.J]ISSA[LESBOS]
(Ἴσσα). The modern Lissa; a small island in the Adriatic Sea, with a town of the same name, off the coast of Dalmatia, said to have derived its name from Issa, daughter of Macareus of Lesbos, who was beloved by Apollo. (Ovid, Met. vi. 124). The island was inhabited by a hardy race of sailors, whose barks (lembi Issaei) were much prized.
A town on an island of the same name in the central Adriatic. It was settled by Illyrians, who were under the domination of Liburni from the 8th to the 6th c. B.C. At the beginning of 4th c. B.C. it was colonized by Syracusan Greeks as part of a plan of Dionysios the Elder to control the Adriatic. During the 3d c. Issa founded the emporia Tragurion (Trogir) and Epetion (Stobreč) on the Illynan mainland. Its predominance in the region lasted until the first Illyro-Roman war 229-219 B.C. when it became a pawn in the battles of greater powers. In the civil war it sided with Pompey and consequently lost its privileges and autonomy in 47 B.C. when it was reduced to the rank of the oppidum civium Romanorum and was dependent on the newly founded colony at Salona. As a polis Issa minted its own money, and these coins of many types had wide circulation.
The town, situated on a slope on the W side of a large bay, was defended by strong Hellenistic walls, still visible in an irregular quadrangle (265 x 360 m) that enclosed an area of 9.8 ha. The street grid and foundations of houses have been found. The necropolis has yielded many pieces of the pottery, including some from S Italy. The wall of the cavea of the theater, built in the Roman period, is incorporated into the present Franciscan Monastery. It could seat about 3000 persons.
Inscriptions, statues, coins, and pottery are preserved in the archaeological museums at Split and Zagreb.
BIBLIOGRAPHYM. Nikolanci, “Helenistička nekropola Isse,” Vjesnik za arheologiju i historiju dalmatinsku 63-64 (1961-62) 57-90; G. Novak, Vis (1961); B. Gabričević, Antički spomenici otoka Visa, Viški spomenici (1968) 5-60 (English summary).
M. ZANINOVIĆ