Recent from talks
Bithynia
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Bithynia
Bithynia (/bɪˈθɪniə/; Koine Greek: Βιθυνία, romanized: Bithynía) is a geographical region of northwestern Asia Minor (in present-day Turkey), adjoining the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea. It borders Mysia to the southwest, Paphlagonia to the northeast along the Black Sea coast, and Phrygia to the southeast towards the interior of Asia Minor.
Hellenistic Bithynia was an independent kingdom from the 3rd century BC. Its capital Nicomedia was rebuilt on the site of ancient Astacus in 264 BC by Nicomedes I. Bithynia was bequeathed to the Roman Republic in 74 BC, and became united with the Pontus (region) region as the province of Bithynia and Pontus.
In the 7th century it was incorporated into the Byzantine Opsikion theme. It became a border region to the Seljuk Empire in the 13th century, and was eventually conquered by the Ottoman Turks between 1325 and 1333.
Several major cities sat on the fertile shores of the Propontis (which is now known as the Sea of Marmara): Nicomedia, Chalcedon, Cius and Apamea. Bithynia also contained Nicaea, noted for being the birthplace of the Nicene Creed.
According to Strabo, Bithynia was bounded on the east by the river Sangarius (modern Sakarya), but the more commonly received division extended it to the Billaeus (Filyos), which separated it from Paphlagonia, thus comprising the district inhabited by the Mariandyni. A less common view holds that the much less important Parthenius River (modern Bartın) marked the eastern border of Bithynia. On the west and southwest it was separated from Mysia by the Rhyndacus river and on the south it adjoined Phrygia and Galatia.
It was occupied by mountains and forests, but had valleys and coastal districts of great fertility. The most important mountain range was the so-called Mysian or Bithynian Olympus (8,000 ft, 2,400 m), which towers above Prusa (modern Bursa) and is clearly visible as far away as Istanbul (70 miles, 110 km). Its summits are covered with snow for a great part of the year. East of this the range extends for more than 100 miles (160 km), from the Sakarya to Paphlagonia.
The broad tract which projects towards the west as far as the shores of the Bosporus, though hilly and covered with forests (known in Turkish today as the Ağaç Denizi, or "Sea of Trees") is not traversed by any mountain chain. The west coast is indented by two deep inlets: the northernmost, the Gulf of Astacus (today the Gulf of İzmit), penetrating between 40 and 50 miles (64 and 80 km) into the interior as far as Nicomedia (today İzmit), separated by an isthmus of only about 25 miles (40 km) from the Black Sea; and the Gulf of Cius (today the Gulf of Gemlik), about 25 miles (40 km) long. At the extremity of the latter there was the small town of Cius (today Gemlik), at the mouth of a valley, communicating with Lake Ascania, on which Nicaea was located.
The principal rivers were: the Sangarios, which traversed the province from south to north; the Rhyndacus, which separated it from Mysia; and the Billaeus, which rose in the Aladağ, about 50 miles (80 km) from the sea, and after flowing by modern Bolu (ancient Bithynion/Claudiopolis) emptied into the Black Sea, close to the ruins of the ancient Tium, about 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Heraclea Pontica (the modern Karadeniz Ereğli), having a course of more than 100 miles (160 km).
Hub AI
Bithynia AI simulator
(@Bithynia_simulator)
Bithynia
Bithynia (/bɪˈθɪniə/; Koine Greek: Βιθυνία, romanized: Bithynía) is a geographical region of northwestern Asia Minor (in present-day Turkey), adjoining the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea. It borders Mysia to the southwest, Paphlagonia to the northeast along the Black Sea coast, and Phrygia to the southeast towards the interior of Asia Minor.
Hellenistic Bithynia was an independent kingdom from the 3rd century BC. Its capital Nicomedia was rebuilt on the site of ancient Astacus in 264 BC by Nicomedes I. Bithynia was bequeathed to the Roman Republic in 74 BC, and became united with the Pontus (region) region as the province of Bithynia and Pontus.
In the 7th century it was incorporated into the Byzantine Opsikion theme. It became a border region to the Seljuk Empire in the 13th century, and was eventually conquered by the Ottoman Turks between 1325 and 1333.
Several major cities sat on the fertile shores of the Propontis (which is now known as the Sea of Marmara): Nicomedia, Chalcedon, Cius and Apamea. Bithynia also contained Nicaea, noted for being the birthplace of the Nicene Creed.
According to Strabo, Bithynia was bounded on the east by the river Sangarius (modern Sakarya), but the more commonly received division extended it to the Billaeus (Filyos), which separated it from Paphlagonia, thus comprising the district inhabited by the Mariandyni. A less common view holds that the much less important Parthenius River (modern Bartın) marked the eastern border of Bithynia. On the west and southwest it was separated from Mysia by the Rhyndacus river and on the south it adjoined Phrygia and Galatia.
It was occupied by mountains and forests, but had valleys and coastal districts of great fertility. The most important mountain range was the so-called Mysian or Bithynian Olympus (8,000 ft, 2,400 m), which towers above Prusa (modern Bursa) and is clearly visible as far away as Istanbul (70 miles, 110 km). Its summits are covered with snow for a great part of the year. East of this the range extends for more than 100 miles (160 km), from the Sakarya to Paphlagonia.
The broad tract which projects towards the west as far as the shores of the Bosporus, though hilly and covered with forests (known in Turkish today as the Ağaç Denizi, or "Sea of Trees") is not traversed by any mountain chain. The west coast is indented by two deep inlets: the northernmost, the Gulf of Astacus (today the Gulf of İzmit), penetrating between 40 and 50 miles (64 and 80 km) into the interior as far as Nicomedia (today İzmit), separated by an isthmus of only about 25 miles (40 km) from the Black Sea; and the Gulf of Cius (today the Gulf of Gemlik), about 25 miles (40 km) long. At the extremity of the latter there was the small town of Cius (today Gemlik), at the mouth of a valley, communicating with Lake Ascania, on which Nicaea was located.
The principal rivers were: the Sangarios, which traversed the province from south to north; the Rhyndacus, which separated it from Mysia; and the Billaeus, which rose in the Aladağ, about 50 miles (80 km) from the sea, and after flowing by modern Bolu (ancient Bithynion/Claudiopolis) emptied into the Black Sea, close to the ruins of the ancient Tium, about 40 miles (64 km) northeast of Heraclea Pontica (the modern Karadeniz Ereğli), having a course of more than 100 miles (160 km).
Recent media