Ecbatana Ecbatana Ecbatana (; "Hagmatāna" or "Haŋmatāna", literally "the place of gathering", , in Aeschylus and Herodotus, Akkadian: "a-gam-ta-nu" in the Nabonidus Chronicle) was an ancient city in Media in western Iran. It is believed that Ecbatana is in Hagmatana Hill (Tappe-ye Hagmatāna), an archaeological mound in Hamedan. According to Herodotus, Ecbatana was chosen as the Medes' capital in the late 8th century BC by Deioces. Under the Achaemenid Persian kings, Ecbatana, situated at the foot of Mount Alvand, became a summer residence. Later, it became the capital of the Parthian kings, at which time it became their main mint, producing
Macalla (ancient city) Macalla (ancient city) Macalla () was an ancient city of Bruttium, where, according to Lycophron, was the sepulchre of Philoctetes, to whom the inhabitants paid divine honours. The author of the treatise "De Mirabilibus", ascribed to Aristotle, mentions the same tradition, and adds that the hero had deposited there in the temple of Apollo Halius the bow and arrows of Hercules, which had, however, been removed by the Crotoniats to the temple of Apollo in their own city. We learn from this author that Macalla was in the territory of Crotona, about 120 "stadia" from that city; but its position