Byzantium
Ancient Greek city, forerunner of Constantinople / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Byzantium?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
SHOW ALL QUESTIONS
This article is about the ancient city. For the city in the late Roman period (330–1453), see Constantinople. For the Ottoman and modern city (after 1453), see Istanbul. For the empire, see Byzantine Empire. For other uses, see Byzantium (disambiguation).
Byzantium (/bɪˈzæntiəm, -ʃəm/) or Byzantion (Ancient Greek: Βυζάντιον) was an ancient Greek city in classical antiquity that became known as Constantinople in late antiquity and Istanbul today. The Greek name Byzantion and its Latinization Byzantium continued to be used as a name of Constantinople sporadically and to varying degrees during the thousand year existence of the Byzantine Empire.[1][2] Byzantium was colonized by Greeks from Megara in the 7th century BCE and remained primarily Greek-speaking until its conquest by the Ottoman Empire in CE 1453.[3]
Quick Facts Alternative name, Location ...
Byzantion | |
Alternative name | Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome") |
---|---|
Location | Fatih, Istanbul, Turkey |
Region | Marmara Region |
Coordinates | 41°00′55″N 28°59′05″E |
Type | Ancient city |
Part of | |
Area | 6 km2 (2.3 sq mi) enclosed within Constantinian Walls 14 km2 (5.4 sq mi) enclosed within Theodosian Walls |
History | |
Founded | 667 BC |
Cultures |
Close