Palakion

{{Short description|Scythian fortress in Crimea}}

Palakion (Παλάκιον), according to Strabo, was a Scythian fortress in the steppes of Crimea.[http://www.paulyonline.brill.nl/entries/der-neue-pauly/palakion-e904220?s.num=66&s.start=60 "Palakion"], Der Neue Pauly. Herausgegeben von: Hubert Cancik,, Helmuth Schneider (Antike), Manfred Landfester (Rezeptions- und Wissenschaftsgeschichte). Brill Online, 2015. (retrieved 9 September 2015) The only information about it is from an inscription on the gravestone of a dweller of Chersonesos who died in a battle at the walls of Palakion.[http://www.chersonesos.org/?p=out_ant_palakiy&l=eng "Palakion"], at the website of the National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos{{Cite web|url=http://krim.biz.ua/balaklava_history.html|title = История Балаклавы}}

Strabo suggests that Palakion, Chabon (Chabaioi[http://www.chersonesos.org/?p=out_ant_habei&l=eng Chabaioi (Chabon)]) and Scythian Neapolis were named after sons of Scythian ruler Skilurus (Palakus, in the case of Palakion).

Peter Simon Pallas speculated that the name of Balaklava is a corruption of 'Palakion'.[http://www.sevastopol.info/toponim/balaklava.htm "Balaklava"] at sevastopol.info There is no historical evidence to this.[http://sevastopol_toponyms.academic.ru/663/%D0%9F%D0%90%D0%9B%D0%90%D0%9A%D0%98%D0%99%2C_%D0%9F%D0%90%D0%9B%D0%90%D0%9A%D0%98%D0%9E%D0%9D%2C_%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B4 ПАЛАКИЙ, ПАЛАКИОН, город], Toponymic Dictionary of Sevastopol (Топонимический словарь Севастополя), EdwART. 2011.