Colophon

Colophon, an Ionian city of Asia, about 9 miles N. of Ephesus, and near the sea-coast. The river Halesus, noted for the coolness of its water, flowed past it. It was the native city of Mimmernus, the elegist, and claimed to be the birthplace of Homer. In its neighbourhood was the famous oracle of Apollo Clarius. The Greek proverb, 'to put the colophon to it,' meaning to terminate an affair, is explained by Strabo as arising from the belief that the cavalry of Colophon was so excellent that their charge always decided a battle. Hence, in old printed books, any device, or printer's name, or the place and year of printing, printed at the end, was called a colophon (see BOOK). It gave its name also to colophony, a kind of black resin, for which see ROSIN.