|
Near East Kingdoms
Ancient Anatolia
|
|
|
|
Sinope (Greeks)
The Greek colony of Sinope was founded (actually
refounded) on
Paphlagonia's Black
Sea coast by Ionian settlers of the city of
Miletus in
Caria, perhaps in the
early seventh or late eighth centuries BC (about 630 BC is often given as
a date). Various settlements in the region had previously existed since
about the middle of the third millennium BC. These include people from
Colchis and possibly
Hittites
too, while the
Assyrians may have been behind the initial founding of Sinope as a
trading port (although this is contentious). Their presence in Anatolia
has been poorly understood in general, with greater light being shed on
it through archaeology. Some ancient authors support this idea without
being particularly specific.
However, although there are some Hittite objects in the area, the Black
Sea coast here was firmly under the control of the
Kaskans in the second
millennium BC. They often gave the Hittites a very hard time, which on
occasion was returned in the form of Hittite raids which may have reached
the coast. It may have been one of these raids which resulted in the
formation of short-term garrisons, a port, and some attached settlement,
and Sinope does seem previously to have been a Hittite port named Sinuwa
until the dark age collapse of that state. Between that collapse and the
arrival of a fresh wave of Greek settlers in the late seventh century BC,
Sinope/Sinuwa may also have served as a headquarters of a division of the
Cimmerians, however
briefly.
Once established (and again when re-established), Sinope began issuing its
own coins and founding its own colonies. In Greek minds it became one of
the most important colonies on the entire Black Sea coast. It remained
relatively isolated from inland communities until the fourth century BC,
sheltered from the 'barbarians' by a dominant mountain range that sits not
far to the south of the coast. That range had particularly fertile lower
slopes that were richly productive. How much of the coastline was dominated
by the small city is unclear. It certainly did not go as far west as the
Bithynian border, but did extend a couple of hundred kilometres to the east
and its colony of Trapezous (Latin Trapezus, English Trebizon, modern
Trabzon). When Alexander the Great's
Greek conquest of formerly
Persian-controlled
Anatolia had been successfully completed it led to a large influx of
Hellenisation across the entire region. The period of domination by the
Persian satrap Datames around the 360s BC seemingly lasted only as long as
his rebellion against the Persian king.
(Information by Peter Kessler, with additional information from Dictionary
of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, William Smith (Ed, 1867),
from The Persian Empire, J M Cook (1983), from The Histories,
Herodotus (Penguin, 1996), from the Historical Dictionary of Ancient
Greek Warfare, J Woronoff & I Spence, from The Cambridge Ancient
History, edited by I E S Edwards, from The Kingdom of the Hittites,
Trevor Bryce (1998), from The Hittites, O R Gurney (1991), from The
History, Cornelius Tacitus (Alfred John Church, Sara Bryant, & William
Jackson Brodribb, Eds, 1873), and from External Links:
Encyclopaedia Iranica, and
The Geography of Strabo (Loeb Classical Library Edition, 1932), and
Ancient Sinope: First Part, David M Robinson (The American Journal of
Philology, Vol 27 No 2, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1906, and
available from
JSTOR).) |
|
|
|
c.1183 - 1173 BC |
In Greek legend, Omphale is the
Atyad ruler of
Lydia, whom Herakles is required to serve for a period of time (his various
adventures also include restoring his brother as ruler of
Laconia). One of his companions, Autolycus of Thessaly, is reputed to
refound the port settlement of Sinope after losing contact with Herakles,
taking it from the
Assyrians.
 |
Sinope remains inhabited today, centred around the military fort
shown here on 3 November 1855 by William Simpson, although the
fort's presence makes archaeological digs very difficult (click
or tap on image to view full sized)
|
|
|
|
The name 'Sinope' does indeed predate Greek settlement, and mythology and
tradition do indicate that the town is taken from existing inhabitants.
Strabo says that Autolycus 'took possession of Sinope', using a Greek word
which generally indicates seizure or capture. Plutarch states this
outright. |
fl c.1200 - ? BC |
Autolycus |
Companion of Herakles (of the
Heraclids of
Maeonia). |
|
Autolycus subsequently joins the Argonauts of Jason of
Iolkos,
which places his approximate dating around 1200 BC and makes his probable
origins
Mycenaean. The town remains small and relatively powerless until
Milesian colonists
arrive in the seventh century BC. |
|
|
|
fl c.780s? BC |
Habrondas / Habron |
Of
Miletus. Killed by
Cimmerians. |
c.782 - 756 BC |
Herodotus is of the opinion that the town briefly provides a base
(unwillingly, no doubt) for the
Cimmerians from about 782
BC. This would seem to predate their general marauding across the Caucuses
but not by much more than two generations. Raids along the coastline could
certainly be taking place at this time. Sinope recovers gradually so that,
by about 756 BC it is able to found its own colony further east on the Black
Sea coast, at Trapezous (Latin Trapezus, English Trebizon, modern Trabzon).
 |
This image shows Cimmerians battling early Greeks - prior to
the advent of accepted 'Classical' Greece - with the mounted
Cimmerians warriors apparently being accompanied by their dogs
(republican Romans did much the same thing)
|
|
|
fl late 700s? BC |
Coos |
Exile from Miletus. Rebuilt
the city. |
fl late 700s? BC |
Cretines |
Exile from Miletus. Rebuilt
the city. |
|
|
|
641 - 635 BC |
After more than a decade of controlling a vast domain that reaches through
northern Mesopotamia, the
Cimmerian ruler Tugdamme
is now defeated. This would appear to be the point at which the Cimmerians
largely break up as a cohesive force. Elements settle in
Tabal (Classical Cappadocia)
and Thrace,
destroy Sinope around 635 BC, and may well also contribute greatly to a
thrust of hose-borne warrior groups migrating westwards along the Danube
to influence the
Celts. |
c.630 BC |
Thanks to its important maritime location and its proximity to the famous
sanctuary of Apollo at Didyma, the city of
Miletus has been prospering
as a trading centre. During the eighth and seventh centuries BC, it has
established as many as ninety colonies throughout the eastern Aegean,
including Abydos, Cyzicus, Olbia, and Panticapaeum, and also Naukratis
(Naucratis) in
Egypt. Around 630 BC settlers from Miletus refound the town of Sinope
on the Black Sea coast of otherwise barbaric
Paphlagonia. |
fl c.630 BC |
Ambron |
Colony refounder. |
|
Following Ambron's refounding of the town, it clearly remains a minor
settlement, with no records covering its existence during the next two
centuries. Even the conquest of much of Anatolia by Cyrus the Great and his
Persian empire
seems to pass it by. It is highly unlikely that the Persians penetrate this
far northwards, though the rugged country of a
Paphlagonia
that itself never seems to be entirely tamed by them. Persian overlordship
is likely by the start of the fifth century BC, however, as part of Xerxes
navy is produced by the cities of the Black Sea coast.
 |
Like the Kaskans before them, the Paphlagonians struggled to
survive in the somewhat tough conditions of the Black Sea's
southern coast
|
|
|
|
|
|
c.444 BC |
Greeks have been sending increasing numbers of relief expeditions to the
Greek cities of the Black Sea which are under tribute to
Persia. Pericles
of
Athens arrives at Sinope, probably soon after 444 BC, making a display
of Athenian power, attempting to relieve the city from oppression, and
hoping to stimulate trade with Attica. |
before 433 BC |
Timesilaus / Timesileon |
Greek tyrant of Sinope. Expelled by
Athens. |
|
It is at Sinope that Pericles leaves the efficient Lamachus with thirteen
ships, assigning him the task of expelling the tyrant Timesilaus. He does
so with great efficiency, and not long afterwards
Athens votes to send six hundred volunteer colonists to Sinope to occupy
the houses and lands of the defeated tyrant and his followers. |
c.444 - 399 BC |
Again the city falls off the historical record, but the quality of its coin
production does markedly improve. By the start of the fourth century BC
Sinopean coins bear the names of magistrates, or at least the first letters
of their names. This is a clear indication of independence, and initialled
coin production here is perhaps only fifty years behind that of
Phoenician cities
such as Sidon and
Tyre. Without any
surviving inscriptions or other written sources to help in deciphering those
initial letters it is impossible to construct a meaningful king list here,
but initials and best guesses are shown below, in no particular order. |
fl c.399 - 364 BC |
E K / Hecatonymus? |
Greek magistrate of Sinope. Known from coins alone. |
fl c.399 - 364 BC |
XOPH |
Greek magistrate of Sinope. Known from coins alone. |
fl c.399 - 364 BC |
AEΩM |
Greek magistrate of Sinope. Known from coins alone. |
364 - 358 BC |
This seems to be the point, in 364 BC, at which the native princes of
Paphlagonia
are finally removed from holding any kind of office within the
Persian
administrative structure. They are replaced by various individuals from more
powerful regions. By now the city of Sinope has also fallen under Persian
domination, ending the minting of coins by its magistrates and replacing
them with inferior coinage bearing the inscription of Datames. As the
now-rebel satrap of
Khilakku (Cilicia),
he is the first non-Greek to take control there in almost a millennium.
Given the fact that he is in revolt against Persia, it would seem that
Paphlagonia has been seized as part of this effort.
 |
Shown here are two side of a silver stater which was issued
by Satrap Datames of Khilakku (Cilicia) around 380 BC, some
thirteen-or-so years prior to his rebellion against the
Persian king (neither face is of Datames himself)
|
|
|
|
Soon all of Asia Minor (Anatolia) revolts against Artaxerxes II and,
in 362 BC, even Autophradates, satrap of
Sparda, is driven
to join the rebels.
Sparta, and also Takhôs, pharaoh of
Egypt, send substantial help to the rebels. Two years later, in 360
BC, Ariobarzanes is betrayed by his son, Mithridates, and is executed.
The satrapal revolt is finally suppressed in 359-358 BC, by which
time Datames has officially been removed as satrap of Khilakku.
The coinage of Datames in Sinope is followed by a still poorer coinage
bearing Aramaic inscriptions, some specimens of which bear the names of
Ariarathes and Abdsasan (and not Abdemon as is sometimes stated). But
short-lived as the coinage of the Greek magistrates has been, it has
borne mute testimony to Sinope's brief autonomy. |
fl late 300s? BC |
Ariarathes |
Otherwise unidentified ruler. Known from coins alone. |
fl late 300s? BC |
Abdsasan |
Otherwise unidentified ruler. Known from coins alone. |
|
|
|
301 BC |
At the end of the Wars of the Diadochi (the 'successors', Alexander
the Great's generals), Ptolemy I of
Egypt is constantly seeking to capture areas of Anatolia, or at least
ally them to him as he continues to fight his Greek opponents. He sends
emissaries to Scydrothemis bearing gifts and desiring a reading from the
city's oracle.
 |
The Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC ended the drawn-out and
destructive Wars of the Diadochi which decided how
Alexander's empire would be divided
|
|
c.301 - 280 BC |
Scydrothemis |
Greek ruler of Sinope. A king according to Tacitus. |
|
|
|
235 BC |
Antiochus Heirax, co-regent of the
Seleucid empire and
governor of regions in Anatolia - together with Mithradates of
Pontus, continues his campaign
to wrest the empire from his brother by defeating him at the battle of Ancyra
in 235 BC, leaving Anatolia outside of Seleucid power. This victory is
clearly also good for Pontus itself, giving it more freedom to expand its
own power and territory. However, Mithradates is unable to conquer the city
of Sinope. |
|
|
|
c.200 BC |
By now
Galatia
has been settled for almost a century around the River Halys and the
Phrygian plain -
the poorest parts of Anatolia. According to Pliny the Elder, it lies 'above'
Phrygia and includes the greater part of the territory taken from that
province, along with its former capital at Gordion (Gordium). The Gauls of
Maeonia (Lydia) and
Paphlagonia
are called the Trocmi (Trocmes), a number of leaders of whom are known to
history. Cappadocia
stretches along to the north-west of Galatia, with its most fertile regions
being in the possession of the Galatian Tectosages and Teutobodiaci. Again,
though, much of the events leading up to this situation have passed Sinope
by. |
|
|
|
183 BC |
Following Roman victories over
Macedonia and the
Seleucids in
Syria (190 BC),
Pharnaces I of Pontus allies
his kingdom to
Rome.
In 183 BC he completes the conquest of neighbouring
Paphlagonia
by taking Sinope. The region's history now largely follows that of Pontus
and its successor, Rome. The city suffers a decline in trade once Rome has
laid down roads across the previously-impenetrable Anatolian interior. No
further mention is made of independent princes and today Paphlagonia forms
part of
Turkey. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|