B Y Z 



L Y Z 



large funis to the revenues of the city, x^-hich was cmwdL-d 

 alfi) with merchants, and fupportcd by an active and 

 flourifhing commerce. Its port, (heltcred on every fide 

 from tempells, attracted thither the villels of all the Grecian 

 nations; and iis fituation at the head of the Ihait enabled 

 it to Hop, or fubjeCl to heavy duties, the foreign mereliants 

 wlio traded in tlie Euxinc, and to fin-nilli the nations who 

 drew from it their fnbi'iHence. Hence arofe the conftant 

 endeavonrs of the Athenians and L.acediEmonians to engage 

 this city in their iiiterells. 



Byzantinm was founded, according to Eiifebius (in Chron.) 

 about the third year ot the 30th olympiad, while Tulkis 

 Hoftilius reigned at Rome. But Diadorus Siculus (1. v.) 

 aflerts, that the foundations of this city were laid in the 

 time of the Argonauts, about 1263 years before Chrill, by 

 one Byzas, who then reigned in the neighbouring country, 

 and from whofe name the city was called Byzantii'.m. 



This Byzas, if we may credit Eullathius (in Dionyf. v, 

 804.) arrived in Thrace a little before the Argonauts came 

 into thofe feas, and fettled thtre with a colony ot Megarcans. 

 Others fav, that the navigator Byzas, who was ftyled the 

 fon of Neptune, founded tlie city 6^6 years before the 

 Chrillian a:ra : and tliat his followers were drawn from 

 Argosand Megara. .See Scaliger Animadv. ad Eufeb. p. 81. 

 Du-Cange Conllantinopolis, 1. i. p. i. cap. 15, 16. Some an- 

 cient medals of Byzantium, which have rcachedour times, bear 

 the name and head of Byzas, with the prow of a fliip on the 

 rcvcrfe, probably of that (hip which brought him into Thrace. 



Velleius Paterculus (1. ii. c. J 5.) alcribes the glory of 

 founding this great metropolis to the Miltlians ; and Amnii- 

 anus Marcellinus (1. xxii. c. 8.) to the inhabitants of Attica. 

 Juftiri (1. ix. c. i.) fays, that it was built by Panlanias 

 king of Lacedaemon ; but in this he mull have been mif- 

 taken, fmce it is certain, that Paufanias, the commander 

 of the Lacedicmonian fleet, took it (about the year B. C. 

 476.) from the Pafians, who had made themfelvcs mailers 

 of it before the king of LaccdcEmou had ever been in Alia. 

 (Tbucyd. 1. iii. Herodot. 1. iv.) Paufanias might pro- 

 bably have rebuilt and fortified it, whilft he continued in 

 poflreffion of it, and carried on a fecrct conlpiracy with 

 the Perfians. It underwent many revolutions, having 

 been fometimes fubjeft to the Perfians, fomctimes to 

 the Lactdaemonians, and alfo to the Athenians, who 

 took poirclfiou of it about the year B. C. 407. About 

 the year 340 B. C. Philip of Macedon laid fiege to this 

 city ; but was compelled to raife it, and to retreat, by 

 Phocion, the Athenian general. Its iltualion was jullly 

 confidtred by the ancients as the moll pleafant, and alio the 

 moll convenient, for trade, of any in the world; and it is 

 therefore no wonder, that the poffeflTion of it fiionld be an 

 objeCl. of various and fucceflive conteils. After many vicif- 

 fitudcs, Velpafian, A. D. 71, reduced Greece, which Nero 

 liad declared free, and likewife Lycia, Rhodes, Byzantium, 

 Samos, Thrvice, and Cilioia, to Reman provinces, alleging, 

 that they were no longer capable of liberty, fince they only 

 made ufe of it to undo thcmltlves by their intelline divilions. 

 Ill the ccntcil between Niger and the empei-or Severus, 

 the former placed a numerous garrifon in Byzantium, and 

 the latter iniUad of purluing his enemy and belleging him in 

 this Itrong city, detached a large body of troops 10 Cyzicus, 

 near wiiicli a battle enfued between them and the numerous 

 army of .^mdi'^mus, v. isich terminated in a deftat of this 



feneral, and ubhgcd Niger to quit Byzantinm, A. D. 194. 

 Ipon this Severus iiivclted the place abandoned by hij 

 enemy, and commenced a fiege, which laltcd three years. 

 The bloody battle of Illus decided thia conteil ; and the 

 head of Niger was fent by Sevirus to his army, encamped 

 before Byzantium, and exhibited to tl'.c befitgij on the 

 Vol. V. 



point of a fpear ; and from Byzantium it was fent to Romf, 

 as the token and ticiphy of Severus's viftory. Such v.-crc 

 the llrcngth of this city, its advantageous fituation for 

 defence, and the obllinacy of the befieged, tlrat it was not 

 lubducd witliout many aflaults and many faliiot, which 

 render the capture of it one of the mofl extraordinary events 

 in mihtaiy hiilory. On the fide of the fi.a it was guarded 

 by a harbour into which tlie current let witli fiicli violence, 

 tliat thofe who attempteil to approach the city in this 

 way were obliged to pals under its walls. Although the 

 walls were not high, the fea itfelf, and its rocks, were a 

 fufficicnt barrier. On the land lidc, care had been taken to 

 fortify it with high and thick walls, built of iiewn llonc? 

 fattened together with cramps of iron ; and the whole circuit 

 was (lank'.d with towers built in Inch manner and al 

 fiich diilances, that they defended one another. Before and 

 during the fu'gc, the liyzantinea had provided themfelvcs 

 with various machines of war, fomc of whitli hurled large 

 beams and Hones upon the bcfiegers on their approach, and 

 others threw at them fliowers of darts and fmaller Hones to a 

 greater dillance. Strong iron hooks taflcned to chair.s 

 were funk at the foot of the wall and dragged up what- 

 ever they laid hold of. Thefe machines were moltly coii- 

 llruCted by one Prilcus, a Bithynian, and a famous en- 

 gineer ; who, after the furrender of the place, was fentenced 

 to death by the generals of Severus, but obtained his pardon 

 of the emptror, in the profpeft of deriving from his talents 

 future fervices. The entrance of the harbour of Byzantium 

 was barred by a chain, and upon tlie piers, which advanced 

 on each fide into the fca, were built towers for preventing 

 the approach of an enemy. This harbour contained Joa 

 fmall velTels, moll of which were armtd with pointed prows 

 of iron ; and fonie of them had two rudders, one at each 

 end of the fliip, and a double complement of men ; by which 

 means they could at a moment's warning, and without 

 tacking about, either advance upon the enemy or fall back, as 

 occafion required. Dion Caflius informs us, that the By- 

 zantines fuccefsfuUy p'aftifed a llratagtm for taking fome of 

 the enemy's fiiips, whilll they lay at anchor at fome dillance 

 from the fhore. They employed diveis, who, fwimming 

 under water, cut the cable, and drove into the body of the 

 fliip a ilrong nail fallencd to a rope, the other end of which 

 was in one ot their own VL-ffcls. This lall, being put in 

 motion, dragged the otlicr alter it, and it thus appeared to 

 move without oars or wind. As the befieged loll many of 

 their fhips, they built others of tlie timber of their lioufes, 

 and the wo.men cut oil their hair m order to furiiifh material* 

 for ropes. When their fupply of darts and common Hones 

 failed, they made ufe of the Hones of the walls of their 

 tlieatrcs, which they demohfhed ; nor did they fpare the 

 Hatucs, even of brafs, which adorned their city. Such 

 was their dillrcfs by famine, that they were reduced to the 

 nccelilty of foaking thongs of leather, in order to derive 

 fomc nouriflimeiit from them, and at length of devouring 

 one another. In this fituation of extreme indigence and 

 milery, fome of the moH robull and vigorous took advantage 

 of a Itorm to embark on board of their (hipa and to feek a 

 fupply of food for their fellow citizens, or to pcrifh in 

 the attempt. Having overloaded ti.eir Ihips, the Romaos 

 attacked them in their reti'rn ; and either overlet or funk 

 them all, fo that not a tingle veilel elcapcd. The Byzan- 

 tines, thus deprived of their only hope, opened their gates 

 to the bcfiegers, and lurreiulered at dilcreliou. The con- 

 querors Ihowed them no mercy ; but maffacred all tlie foldiers, 

 mngiHrates, and commanders ; and by order of the emperor, 

 who exulted with his foldiers on the capture of the city, the 

 ellates of its inhabitants were confifcated; the city was 

 deprived of its privileges and even of its title of city, 



4 K and 



