ESKİÇAĞ’DA KYZİKOS’DAKİ SAVAŞLAR VE ÇATIŞMALAR
WARS AND BATTLES IN ANCIENT TIMES IN CYZICUS

Summary/Abstract: Situated in the area where the Kapıdağ Peninsula meets the mainland in the south of the Marmara Sea, Cyzicus was a highly developed city in Antiquity due to the advantages of its location and its extensive lands suitable for agricultural production. This prominence made Cyzicus a primary target for conquest during the wars between the Persians and Hellenes, Spartans and Athenians, as well as between the Romans and the Kingdom of Pontus. However, the city's wealth ensured that it maintained significant naval power and defence capabilities. The city's strategic location further enhanced its defensive strength. The separation of the Kapıdağ Peninsula from the mainland by a canal also limited land-based attacks. However, despite this characteristic, ancient sources report that the city was besieged from time to time since its foundation in the 7th century BC. Most of these sieges were not only directed against the city but also against the forces with which the city collaborated. Being located near the Persian satrap of Dascylium led the city to generally collaborate with the Persians. During periods of Attica-Delos Naval League dominance, the city had to adjust its policy. The first of the battles for which we have the most information occurred at the end of the Peloponnesian Wars, during the conflict between Athens and the Sparta-Persia alliance, and the second during the Third Mithridatic War between Mithradates VI of Pontus and the Romans.

• Details
• Contents