Bathonea (Ancient Greek:Βαθονεία) is the probable name of a local community division known as ahekatostys (ἑκατοστύς, meaning "Hundred") ofByzantion orRhegion that has generated considerable archaeological interest after being erroneously promoted as a "lost" city.[1] It is located on the European shore of thesea of Marmara, 20 km west fromIstanbul, Turkey inAvcılar, Istanbul.[2][3]
Among the claims are that it was at some point home to some of theVarangian Guards, eliteNorsemen guards &settlers inConstantinople.[4][5][6][7][8] The ruins found at the site, which have always remained visible, were studied extensively in 1930, specially during theRepublican era by the Swiss archeologistErnest Mamboury,[9] who firstly thought and identified the settlement as the town ofRhegion based on some ancient sources.[9]
In 2009 though, a new identification was proposed, as theHellenistic-Roman city of Bathonea, which was taken as fact, generating considerable academic and public interest[2][3] At the present, excavations are conducted under the direction of Dr. Şengül Aydıngün, an associate Professor of theKocaeli University, and it continues to be promoted as a "lost" city despite the presence of only scant archaeological remains and no such city ever being referenced by any known contemporary sources from theClassical orByzantine periods.
Because archeologists are at a site unknown by any historical sources, they are hesitant to draw conclusions. The name "Bathonea" is indeed a placeholder, taken from two inspirations.Pliny the Elder'sNatural History names a river feeding the lake as the "Bathynias." Also, amonk namedTheopanes' work refers to the local region as "Bathyasos." These are both likely variants of the name of thehekatostys.
41°02′01″N28°44′02″E / 41.0335°N 28.7339°E /41.0335; 28.7339
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