User:Latium/Sandbox3
Leonopolis | |
|---|---|
City | |
| Colonia Castellum Augusta Nova Alba Civitas Leonis | |
 | |
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Official seal of Leonopolis Coat of Arms | |
| Nickname: Pons Orbis Terrarum (Bridge of the World) | |
| Country |  Latium |
| Caesarian Province | Perateia |
| Prefecture | Perateia |
| Diocese | East |
| Subdivisions | 15 districts |
| Established | AD 341 |
| Founded by | Iovanius I |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| • Body | City Assembly |
| • Vicar | vacant |
| • Mayor | David Varazhnuni |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EBT) |
Leonopolis is the largest city and administrative center of the Diocese of the East. Leonopolis is a transcontinental city, straddling the Alcaean Straits separating Scipia and the Chersonian peninsula. The city is coterminous with the province of Leonopolis. The city holds a strategic place between the Periclean Sea and the Ozeros Sea.
It was first founded in the 3rd century BCE as a Hellenic colony named Alcaea. It was re-established as Leonopolis in the early 4th century by Latin Emperor Iovanius, where it became a major city in the east of the ancient Latin Empire. In the 7th century it was conquered by the Mesfin Caliphate, and in the 10th century incorporated into the Bayarid Empire. Leonopolis served as the capital of Vardana, under the name, Aparan, intermittently between the 5th and 8th centuries, again from 1353 to 1534 during the first Hazarasp period and again from 1624 to 1830.
Etymology
Settlements in this area have had many different names since its founding. The first recorded settlement was referred to as Alcaeus or Alkaios. This name stems from the ancient mythological figure of the same name, Alkaios, who is the legendary founder of the city and a demi-god claimed to be the leader of ancient Lihnidosi colonists entering the area.
The city was known as Alcaeus in the Latin-era, until 341 AD when it was rededicated by Latin Emperor Iovinus I as Leonopolis, or "City of Leo", renamed in memory of his father. This remains the most widely accepted name for the city today.
In 1624, King Constantine II of Vardana renamed the city Aparan, which is a deviation from the world "Aparank" (royal palace). However Aparan was primarily only utilized in official Vardanan royal documents.
Since 1830, the city's official name is once again Leonopolis.