A HISTORY OF BYZANTION

The head of the first group of the Megarans was Byzas, who gave his
name to the city, which came to be known as Byzan<on. However,
there is another legend regarding the origin of the word. Byzas was the
son of a Thracian king and nymph Semystra, and his friend was Antes.
The name of the city was combina<on of these names. (BYZ+ANT+ION)
According to Dionysios of Byzan<on, the city was founded in 659 B.C.
The Greek colonists possibly merged with the peoples of earlier
sePlements and the Byzan<ne culture preserved some of the elements
ofprevious cultures. It was assumed that the well-known cult of Zeus
Hippios (Zeuxippos) was the horseman god of the Thracian people.
Coin of Byzan6on (Hekate- Moon and Star)
AR tetradrachm struck in Byzan4on 150-100 BC in the name of Lysimachos obverse:Head of the
deified Alexander the Great right; reverse: Athena Nikephoros seated leI ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ / ΛΥΣΙΜΑΧΟΥ
monogram (ΠΩΛΥΒ) to leI; ΒΥ below throne trident in exergue references: Dewing 1361, Müller 204.
weight:16,87g diameter: 35-32mm
Un<l its destruc<on by the Roman Emperor Sep<mius Severus (193-
211 A.D.) in 196, Byzan<on was closely involved inthe major historical
events of Near Eastern history. Darius the Great crossed the Bosphorus
on his way to Thrace for his Scythian campaign (513 B.C.), and
Byzan<on and Chalcedon had to accept his suzerainty. The two ci<es
jonied the Greek ci<es which rebelled, under Athenian leadership,
against the Persian yoke. Pausanias, the Spartan commander who
defeated the Persians at Plataia, in 479 B.C., captured Byzan<on the
following year and held the city un<l 477 B.C. During his short
ascendancy, he adorned the city with many buildings and may have
repaired and enlarged the site.
In the 5th century, Byzan<on was rich in trade and fishing, and its gold
coins circulated throughout the Mediterranean World. A^er Pausanias,
Byzan<on became a military base for the Athenian navy, and a^er the
collapse of the Delos League in which Athenshad held a leading
posi<on, the city of Byzan<on regained its independence for a short
period in 411 B.C. In 409 B.C. Alcibiades captured the city but in 405
B.C., during the Spartan War, the city was taken by the Spartans. In 400
B.C. Xenophon’s ‘Ten Thousand’ passed through the city on their way
back fromtheir famous expedi<on in Persia, via Byzan<on. From 378
B.C. onwards Byzan<on was a member of the Second Afc Sea
Confedera<on and par<cipated in the wars of 357-355 B.C.
From:
h'ps://www.bilimseldunya.com/istanbulun-tarihi/
h"p://www.byzan-um1200.com/byzan-on.html
At that <me, Chalcedon was integrated into the city territory. Byzan<on
also had good rela<onships with neighbouring ci<es such as Selymbria
(Silivri), which aroused the wrath of the Macedonians. The city
remained under Spartan rule un<l Philip II of Macedonia besieged the
city between 340-339 B.C. Byzan<on and its surroundings suffered
severe damage, but thanks to fishing and fer<lity of its territory, the
city recovered. This may have been another occasion for the repair and
reconstruc<on of its walls. In the post-Alexandrian period, during the
war between Lysimachos and An<gonos II in 301 B.C., Byzan<on
remained neutral. Later, while recognizing the suzerainty of An<gonos,
the city retained its own administra<on.
From:
h'p://www.byzan:um1200.com/byzan:on.html
During all these periods, however, the sea trade which extended to the
northern Black Sea coast and Egypt, and the landborne trade between Asia
Minor and South Eastern Europe remained the backbone of the welfare of
the city.
In the 3rd century B.C., new historical trends changed the direcCon of the
city’s development. ByzanCon had to pay an annual tribute to the
ConfederaCon of GalaCan tribes, who invaded the area, captured and
pillaged Chalcedon and menaced the city. In the 3rd century B.C., the city
came under prssure from both the Bithynian and Macedonian kingdoms. The
city was aHacked by AnCochos II of Seleucia in 260 B.C. And Philip V of
Macedonia, who captured Chalcedon in 202 B.C. In the 2nd century B.C.
ByzanCon requested Roman protecCon against the Macedians and Pontus.
A^er the Macedonian war in 146 B.C. The Romans extended their
domina<on over the Balkans, the Aegean and part of Asia Minor.
Byzan<on then became a dependent city-state of the Roman Republic
and during the reign of Vespasian, in 73A.D., was integrated into the
Roman province of Bithynia-Pontus.
The people of Byzan<on had sided with Pescennius Niger, the rival of
Sep<mius Severus, and Severus, a^er the siege which lasted almost
three years (193-196), destroyed the city and massacred its popula<on.
He degraded the city and made it a home of Heraclea Perinthos
(Marmara Ereğlisi). The extent of this destruc<on is unknown but due
to the geo-poli<cal importance of the city, Severus started to rebuild
the city at the ins<ga<on of his son Caracalla.
SepCmus Severus enlarged or simply restored the city with a number of
important buildings, of which the Hippodrome became the hub of the later
ConstanCnopolis. During Severus’ lifeCme the city was given the name of
Antoninia or Antoniniana. Our knowledge concerning the Roman city unCl
the foundaCon of ConsanCnopolis remains scanty, but the city, within the
new organizaCons of the Empire by DiocleCan (285-305) was sCll the capital
of the province of Europa. ChrisCanity reached ByzanCon in the 2nd century.
The thorniest problem facing archeologists has been the size and shape of
the city. Discussion has been based mainly on the interpretaCon of ancient
texts, there being no relevant archeological remains. According to C.Mango,
the precint of the old city remained unchanged unCl the period of
ConstanCne the Great (324-337), but this is a highly debatable point,
because the extent of the city in the Roman period is known to have covered
an area of about 350 acres. Miletos, with its probable 80.000 inhabitants in
the 2nd century A.D. covered only 220 acres. ByzanCon in the classical period
was a city with an esCmated populaCon of 20.000 people and the Megaran
colonists could not have built, let alone defended a city of such dimensions.
Later, during the Spartan occupaCon and the Roman reconstrucCon, the city
walls may have been enlarged on several occasions.
The topography of the site clearly indicates the approximate alignment
of the Acropolis walls, at least on the east and West. For most of the
scholars, it corresponded roughly to the two inner sec<ons of Topkapı
Palace. The city was described by Pseudo-Codinos as including that of
the Hesychios. According to him, the city walls started from the apex of
the promontory on the shore and proceeded westward as far as the
Eugenios Tower (the last towere on the mouth of the Golden Horn)
where they changed direc<on, turning to the South and ascending
towards the Strategion. Near the Strategion there was a gate which
corresponded to an arch, which become to be known as the «Arch of
Urbicus» in the Middle Ages. The walls ascended further in the same
direc<on to reach the Chalcoprateia quarter of the later periods.
Panoramic view of the historic peninsula of Istanbul, looking westwards from the southern entrance
of the Bosporus Strait at the Sea of Marmara. From leI to right, the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia
and the Topkapı Palace are seen, along with the surviving sec4ons of the Sea Walls of Constan4nople.
The Galata Tower is seen at the far right of the picture, across the Golden Horn. The arches and vaults
of the Byzan4ne-era Mangana (Armoury) and the Hagios Georgios Monastery which was located
inside it are seen between the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, near the shore (because of its
prominent posi4on close to the Seraglio Point, the Mangana Monastery of Hagios Georgios was a
well-known landmark for Western sailors who called the Bosporus "the arm of Saint George" since
the thirteenth century.) The dome of the Hagia Irene can be seen to the right of the Hagia Sophia.
They then proceded towards the Milion of the Roman period which
corresponded to another gate of the old city. There, they turned
towards the east passing by the Topoi (This was area on the east of
Topkapı Palace near the sea) of the Byzan<nes and descending to the
shore near the present lighthouse (Ahırkapı Feneri); then, they
following the shoreline toards the North, they joined the tower at the
Seaglio Point. The sea walls were not so high as the land walls and were
protected by breakwaters. These walls had twenty-seven towers. This
whole area is more or less iden<cal with the palace precinct of the
OPomans. There are, however, certain discrepancies.
h"ps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Istanbul#/media/File:Illustra>on_from_Vie
ws_in_the_O"oman_Dominions_by_Luigi_Mayer,_digitally_enhanced_by_rawpixel-
com_1.jpg
h"ps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Istanbul#/media/File:Istanbul_
by_Piri_Reis.jpg
As the present situa<on shows, the North-eastern corner of the
Acropolis is close to the shore, but has a height of 40 metres, and there
must have been level ground on the seashore. The 27 toweres cannot b
correspond to the city walls. In most of the city walls of Classical
An<quity, the distance between the towers ranges from 40 to 80
metres. Assuming an average distance of 50 metres the 27 towers
correspond only to a perimeter of 1400 metres. The present
iden<fica<on of the Strategion with the Agora of the first city is based
on the idea that the agora must have been close to the harbour. The
Strategion is men<oned by later authors.
The earliest reference to it is to a tripod, presumably belonging to
Alexander’s <me. The western gate of the city was the Gate of
Thrakion, but its loca<on has not been iden<fied. The sources are
extremely confusing concerning the names of places. Thrakion, a
district situated immediately outside the walls towards the South,
served as a market place and became the Agora during the later
development of the city. Whether it was inside the first Megran city we
cannot gtell. It is impossible to reconstruct the eaxct shape of the first
Megaran precinct. During the construc<on of the first railroad in
İstanbul in 1871, cyclopean Wall blocks, some<mes larger than 2
meters, were unearthed and duly recorded.
They may have belonged to the first Megaran Wall system or,
presumably, to the legendary city of Lygos, the Thracian city men<oned
by Plinius the Elder on the site of which the Megrans founded their city.
There are only two points on the North-eastern Marmara shore, where
extremely large stone blocks indicate Greek or early Roman walls.
These probably followed the earlier of the first city’s sea walls. Sporadic
finds in the Palace precinct were not numerous enough to offer any
conclusive informa<on about the physical dimensions of the city of
Byzan<on.
The second Wall system of the classical period is that described by Dionysius
of ByzanCon before their destrucCon by SepCmius Severus. They had a
circuit of 35 staida (about 5 km), and defined a much larger precinct. They
enclosed the First Hill and part of the secondand the valley in between, thus
following a course which corresponded roughly to present-day Babıali Street.
The three harbours lay inside the walls. Both Dion Cassius and Herodian,
from the mid-3rd century A.D. Refer to the strength of these walls. Built a
large stone blocks and metal clamps and so closely fiHed as to present the
appearance of a Wall of solid rockaround the city, these walls were regarded
by the anCque authors as one of the strongest in the Greek World a^er walls
of Messene and Rhodes. Dion Cassius menCons seven wonderful towers
between the Gate of Thrakion and the Golden Horn.
Millingen dates the construc<on of these walls to the period of
Pausanias, a^er the expulsion of the Persians from Byzan<on.
Herodotus men<ons Pausanians, who spent a short <me in Byzan<on,
as one of the founders of Byzan<on. These walls were further restored
during the siege of Philip II by the archont Leon. It is most likely that no
single builder or building period was responsible for the later
development of the city walls.
MAJOR SITES AND MONUMENTS
Between the Acropolis on the summit of the hill and the sea, there
were terraces and plains on which several temples, a gymnasium, a
stadium and other buildings were located. Thrakion was an empty
expanse of ground where Xenophon ranged his troops. The Gate of
Thrakion was located at the end of the majör Street descending to the
Neorion. Many public buildings were at Strategion.
An<que authors men<oned large number of monuments. On the
Acropolis were to be found the palace, the temples of Zeus, Athena-
Ecbasia, Apollo-Helios, Aphrodite and Artemis-Selene. The temple of
Poseidon is also men<oned as being located on the Acropolis, but at a
point nearer the sea. It was possibly on a lower terrace towards the
north-east.
From:
h'p://www.byzan:um1200.com/byzan:on.html
Athena-Ecbasia had her temple near that of Poseidon with the temple
of Aphrodite above it. The good rela<ons with Ptolemaios I during the
3rd century B.C. Prompted the construc<on of two temples dedicated
to the Egyp<an gods, Serapis and Isis. Some public buildings were
located between the Neorionand the Acropolis, on the North-western
slopes of the promontory. The Stadium was located at the foot of
Acropolis, and, next to it, there was a theater, the cavea of which faced
the sea and commanded a view of the Bosphorus. The city had several
baths of which the Bath of Achilleus was the most renowned. Near the
Bath of Achilleus there was a gymnasium.
Hesychios says that there were store-houses on the same area which
survived into the Byzan<ne period. Another important monument from
the Greek period was the Tis Bazilikis or Basilike Stoa where Metroon
and the statue of Rhea, the protector, were erected. Ever since the
founda<on of the city (Rhea transformed into Kybele) was its protector.
The agora of the later Greek city and this stoa, which were located
adjacent sites, seem to have been confused by the later authors. This
upper agora later became the Tetrastoon of Severus. We have no
specific informa<on about the water system, but Hadrian (117-138) is
known to have brought water to the city to feed the baths. The so-
called Aquaduct of Valens, although rebuilt many <mes, may have been
constructed originally as a part of this old water supply system.
Rhea-Kybele
Valens Aquaduct
The city resembled other Greek ci<es in being embellished by
sculptures and commemora<ve monuments. At the center of the Agora
stood the monumental column of the Thracian god Zeuxippos, while
many altars and hierons were built on the seashore, outside the city.
On the shore of the Keras were to be found a sanctuary to Demeter
Malaphoros and Kore, a temple of Hera, destroyed by the Perians in
513 B.C. and a temple of Pluto destroyed in 340 B.C by Philip II. On the
shores of the Bosphorus, near the entrance to the Black Sea, there
were sanctuaries of Zeus Urios and Rhea, and altars of Apollo, Achilleus
and Ajax.
In the place later known as Hagia Mamas there was a temple of Zeus,
later destroyed by Zeno (474-491). The shores of the Bosphorus were
lined with small fishing villages. On the West, outside the city walls, on
the Seventh Hill, stood another temple of Zeus. The famous Blachernae
quarter outside the walls was a pre Constan<nian founda<on.
The necropolises of the later city of Byzan<on lay outside the walls on
the West and on the level ground along the Keras. The necropolis of the
first Megaran city was probably located immediately South and West of
the walls, but it would certainly have been destroyed and built over
when the walled precinct was enlarged.
The archont Leon who carried out a hasty restora<on of the walls
against Philip II’s aPack by using carved stones, may well have been the
man who destroyed the first necropolis. Sporadic excava<ons carried
out in Istanbul yielded no sepulchral finds between the Forum of
Constan<ne and the Acropolis.
 THE CITY AFTER THE SEVERAN
RECONSTRUCTION
Sep<mius Severus is known to have destroyed the walls of the city and
the major buildings of the Greek period, but the extent of this
barbarous ac<vity is uncertain. In the period of reconstruc<on,
according to scholarly opinion of long standing, the walls of the city
were extended and rebuilt. Din Cassius, wri<ng a^er the death of
Severus, cri<cised him for having destroyed such a formidable defence
system, thus leaving the city open to barbarian aPacks. Herodian says
the walls were s<ll in ruins in the mid-3rd-century, but they must have
been rebuilt before the invasion of the Goths between 25—260.
Whether the new city precinct was larger or whether the new walls
followed the old course is a maPer of debate.
Hesychios says that the Wall of Byzan<on did not extend beyond the
Forum of Constan<ne, and Theophanes says that the forum was
located where the gate had formerly stood. This is the generally
accepted theory. The South-eastern course of the later walls is
unknown, but following the topography of the plateau, a^er a short
strip towrds the east, it must have turned to the North-east towards
the shores enclosing the Hippodrome in its perimeter.
Thus, the walls of the post-Severan city probably started from some
point in the present-day Eminönü Square and ascended toward the
South, reaching the summit of the hill inthe vicinity of the later Forum
of Constna<ne (present-day Çemberlitaş) where the main gate of the
city opened on the Thracian plain.
The walls believed to have been built by Severus were actually the
walls of the Greek Byzan<on.
The walls partly destroyed by Severus were in good condi<on at the
<me of the invasion of the Goths in 250-260, but, as in the case of
Severus, there is no account concerning the post-Severan repairs.
There is also another ques<on mark over the claim that Severus started
the construc<on of the Hippodrome and that the Baths of Zeuxippos
were also built in his <me. It is difficult to believe that Severus would
have embarked on the construc<on of such great buildings while
leaving the destroyed walls unrepaired.
In the city itself, the por<coes of the Agora were rebuilt and a new road
(Mese) constructed unning from the Agora to the main gate. This road
and its extension remained the backbone of the historical city un<l the
modern period. The majör building of the Severan reconstruc<on was
the Hippodrome, but it would appear that theHippodrome remained
unfinished un<l the <me of Constna<ne I, who completed the building,
including the circular sphendone and the Cathisma. During the Roman
period the harbours were repaired and perhaps remodeled and new
temples built.
An amphitheater known as the Knegion, where shows of wild beasts
were performed, was built by Severus in the precinct of the Acropolis.
In the 8th century the building s<ll existed and was used for execu<ons.
He also built a new theatre in the old city facing the Golden Horn, and
near the Hippodrome the most famous baths in the history of the
Constan<nopolis, the Baths of Zeuxsippos, the temples of Apollo-Helios
and Aphrodite. The statue of Heliios-Zeuxippos in the Tetrastoon was
transferred to the temple of Apollo.
Today, with almost all of its physical fabric destroyed, Byzan<on lives on
through a significant number of topographical referances recalling
memories of the original sePlements.
Bibliographia
KUBAN, DOĞAN, Istanbul An Urban History, Istanbul, 1996.