Byzantium
The year 667 BCE marks the traditional founding of Byzantium by Byzas, a king from Megara. He sailed northeast across the Aegean Sea to establish this new settlement. Herodotus provides the authority for this date, stating the city was founded seventeen years after Chalcedon. Eusebius wrote almost eight hundred years later and offered different dates, suggesting 656 BCE or slightly earlier. Constantine the Great celebrated the thousandth anniversary between 333 and 334 CE, favoring Herodotus's timeline. This location at the Black Sea's only entrance made it a vital trading hub. The city eventually conquered Chalcedon on the Asiatic side of the Bosphorus. Persian forces took control during Darius I's Scythian campaign in 513 BCE. Sparta seized the city in 411 BCE to cut off grain supplies to Athens. Athenian troops retook Byzantium in 408 BCE after Spartans withdrew.
Scholars remain uncertain about the true origin of the name Byzantium. One theory suggests Thracian roots derived from the personal name Byzas meaning he-goat. Pliny the Elder mentions an earlier name Lygos corresponding to a Thracian settlement. Ancient Greek texts used Byzántios to describe the inhabitants as both an ethnonym and family name. During the Middle Ages, Byzántion served as a synecdoche for the entire eastern Roman Empire. The Latin form Byzantinus evolved into English terms like besant and byzant by the twelfth century. These words originally referred to gold coinage before becoming common names for the empire itself. Historian Hieronymus Wolf introduced Byzantium as a term for the east Roman state in 1555. This occurred one hundred years after the last remnants of the empire ceased to exist. Inhabitants continued calling their polity the Roman Empire until its final collapse.
Septimius Severus besieged Byzantium in 196 CE after the city sided with Pescennius Niger. Extensive damage occurred during this conflict before the emperor rebuilt the settlement. Caracalla persuaded Severus to restore free city privileges that had been lost. The strategic location surrounded by water on almost all sides attracted Constantine I. He refounded the city as Nova Roma in 330 CE inspired directly by Rome. Later generations called it Constantinople meaning city of Constantine in Greek. This imperial residence became the capital of what historians now call the Byzantine Empire. Trade routes between Asia and Europe passed through these walls for centuries. The Mediterranean Sea connected to the Black Sea via this narrow passage. Ottoman Turks conquered the city on the 29th of May 1453. They named it Istanbul though official renaming did not occur until 1930. Ankara remains the national capital today while Istanbul stays the largest population center.
A bright light appeared in the sky during a dark wet night in 340 BC. Philip of Macedon attempted a surprise attack against Byzantines and their Athenian allies. The light thwarted his forces though ancient accounts do not specify if it was moon or meteor. Some later interpreters mention barking dogs accompanying the celestial phenomenon. The Byzantines erected a statue of Hecate lampadephoros to commemorate this event. Hesychius of Miletus preserved fragments of this story within works of Photius and Suidas. Devotion to Hecate grew especially strong due to her credited protection from Philip's incursions. Her symbols included both crescent and star according to local tradition. Coins from the first century BCE show Artemis with bow and quiver alongside an eight-rayed star. This motif became associated with Byzantium by the late Hellenistic period. It also served as the royal emblem for Mithradates VI Eupator who incorporated the city into his empire.
Homerus lived as a tragedian during the early third century before Christ. Epigenes practiced astrology in Byzantium between the third and second centuries BCE. Aristophanes flourished as a scholar in Alexandria during that same era. Myro wrote poetry as a Hellenistic female voice among the city's citizens. Philo worked as an engineer though specific dates for his life remain unclear. These individuals contributed to the cultural and intellectual life of ancient Byzantium. Their names appear in historical records alongside the city's political developments. The city maintained Greek language usage until its conquest by the Ottoman Empire in 1453 CE. Trade prosperity supported scholars and artists throughout its long history. The strategic position allowed diverse influences to shape its unique character over time.
Common questions
When was Byzantium founded by Byzas according to Herodotus?
Herodotus states that the traditional founding of Byzantium occurred in 667 BCE. This date marks when Byzas, a king from Megara, sailed northeast across the Aegean Sea to establish the settlement.
What is the origin of the name Byzantium and its meaning?
One theory suggests Thracian roots derived from the personal name Byzas meaning he-goat. Pliny the Elder mentions an earlier name Lygos corresponding to a Thracian settlement before ancient Greek texts used Byzántios for inhabitants.
Who refounded Byzantium as Nova Roma and when did this happen?
Constantine I refounded the city as Nova Roma in 330 CE inspired directly by Rome. Later generations called it Constantinople meaning city of Constantine in Greek after making it the capital of what historians now call the Byzantine Empire.
Which event involving Philip of Macedon led to the erection of a statue of Hecate lampadephoros?
A bright light appeared in the sky during a dark wet night in 340 BC when Philip of Macedon attempted a surprise attack against Byzantines and their Athenian allies. The Byzantines erected a statue of Hecate lampadephoros to commemorate this event which thwarted his forces.
When did Ottoman Turks conquer Byzantium and when was Istanbul officially renamed?
Ottoman Turks conquered the city on the 29th of May 1453 and named it Istanbul though official renaming did not occur until 1930. Ankara remains the national capital today while Istanbul stays the largest population center.
All sources
22 references cited across the entry
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