A Greek city on the coast of Thrace (Thrake), east of the river Nestos (Nestus).
The city of Abdera was first settled by a man named Timesias of Klazomenae (Clazomenae) in the mid-seventh century BCE; this attempt at colonization was not successful and Timesias and his followers were driven from Thrace by the native inhabitants.
As a result of the Persian invasion of Greece in 480 BCE, the Great King's general, Harpagus, assaulted the land of the Teians who lived in Ionia; the Teians fled to Thrace and re-established Abdera as a Greek city; of all the Ionians who were besieged by the Persians, the Teians were the only ones to flee the Great King's wrath; the other Ionians were reduced to slavery.
The city prospered and by 545 BCE had a protective wall, holy sanctuaries and a well equipped harbor; the city continued to grow and prosper until the Romans conquered the area; from that time on, the city declined into obscurity and finally became nothing more than a cemetery.
Abdera was the birthplace of the philosopher Demokritus (Democritus) and the sophist Protagoras; ironically, the inhabitants of the city were mocked for their inferior minds.