  Cius Shown within Turkey | |
| Location | Anatolia, in present-dayTurkey |
|---|---|
| Region | Bithynia |
| Coordinates | 40°25′57″N29°09′23″E / 40.432468°N 29.156389°E /40.432468; 29.156389 |
Cius (/ˈsaɪəs/;Ancient Greek:Kίος or ΚῖοςKios) was anAncient Greek city bordering the Propontis (now known as theSea of Marmara), inBithynia and inMysia (in modern northwestern Turkey). The city was later renamed toPrusias afterKingPrusias I of Bithynia, who once restored the city.[1]
According to the Greek GeographerStrabo in his bookGeographica, the eponym of the city is, according to afounding myth, a companion ofHeracles who is also the founder of the city.[1] Greek authorApollonius of Rhodes provided another origin, inArgonautica, that the city of Cius was named after a nearby river and was founded by theArgonautPolyphemus.[2]
During theIonian Revolt (499–493 BC), Cius was captured by thePersians under their general Hymaees on theircounter-offensive against the Ionians that had marched on the capital of the PersianSatrapy of Lydia,Sardis, during the Ionian rebellion.[3] Sometime during theCretan War (205–200 BC),KingPhilip V of Macedon put Cius, that was then a member of theAetolian League, under siege. He then razed the city down and ceded it to King Prusias I of Bithynia, who assisted him in capturing Cius.[4] Prusias later restored it under the namePrusias.[1]
According to numismatist Katja I. L. Sommer, during the Roman rule, Cius issued a revert back from the name Prusias around the reign ofEmperorClaudius (r. 41–54) at the latest, possibly in order to gain autonomy, and was later renamed back to Prusias during theFlavian period.[5] It was a member of theDelian League.[6][verification needed] It was an important chain in the ancientSilk Road and became known as a wealthy town.[citation needed]
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Cius was strategically placed at the head of a gulf in the Propontis, called the Gulf of Cius, orCianus Sinus. Historians Herodotus and Xenophon both reverred to it asCius in Mysia.[3][7] NaturalistPliny the Elder reports that Cius was aMilesian colony.[8][verification needed] It was at the foot ofMount Arganthonius, which Strabo claimed as the place whereHylas was kidnapped by theNymphs in a myth.[1] Pliny mentioned the rivers Hylas and Cius here, one of which reminds us of the name of the youth who was stolen by the nymphs, and the other of the mythical founder.[citation needed]
The Cius may be the channel by which the lake Ascania (currently known asLake Iznik) discharges its waters into the gulf of Cius; though Pliny speaks of theAscanium flumen as flowing into the gulf, and we must assume that he gives this name to the channel which connects the lake and the sea. If the river Cius is not identical with this channel, it must be a small stream near Cius. AsPtolemy speaks of the outlets of the Ascanius,[9] it has been conjectured that there may have been two, and that they may be the Hylas and Cius of Pliny; but the plural ἐκβολαί does not necessarily mean more than a single mouth; and Pliny certainly says that the Ascanius flows into the gulf. However, his geography is a constant cause of difficulty. The position of Cius made it the port for the inland parts, and it became a place of much commercial importance.Pomponius Mela calls it the most convenient emporium ofPhrygia, which was at no great distance from it.[citation needed]
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There are coins of Cius, with the legend Κιανων, belonging to the Roman imperial period; and there are coins of Prusias with the epigraph, "Προυσιεων των προς θαλασσαν".
Cius became an early Christianbishopric. Its bishop, Cyrillus, took part in theFirst Council of Nicaea in 325, and Theosebius attended theCouncil of Ephesus. The names of many of his successors in the first millennium are known from extant contemporary documents. At first asuffragan ofNicomedia, it soon became an autocephalousarchdiocese, being listed as such inNotitiae Episcopatuum from the 7th century onward.[10][11][12] No longer a residential bishopric, Cius is today listed by theCatholic Church as atitular see.[13]
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Following thepopulation exchange in 1923, theGreek refugees from Cius established the town ofNea Kios, inArgolis,Greece and the village ofParalia, inPieria,Greece. There are only few remnants of the ancient town and its harbour today. Somewhat more to the west, the town ofGemlik, Bursa Province is enstablished.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Cius".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
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