Several major cities sat on the fertile shores of the Propontis (which is now known as theSea of Marmara): Nicomedia,Chalcedon,Cius andApamea. Bithynia also containedNicaea, noted for being the birthplace of theNicene Creed.
According toStrabo, Bithynia was bounded on the east by the river Sangarius (modernSakarya), but the more commonly received division extended it to theBillaeus (Filyos), which separated it fromPaphlagonia, thus comprising the district inhabited by theMariandyni. A less common view holds that the much less importantParthenius River (modernBartın) marked the eastern border of Bithynia. On the west and southwest it was separated fromMysia by theRhyndacus river and on the south it adjoinedPhrygia andGalatia.[1]
It was occupied by mountains and forests, but had valleys and coastal districts of great fertility. The most important mountain range was the so-calledMysian or Bithynian Olympus (8,000 ft, 2,400 m), which towers abovePrusa (modernBursa) and is clearly visible as far away asIstanbul (70 miles, 110 km). Its summits are covered with snow for a great part of the year.[1] East of this the range extends for more than 100 miles (160 km), from the Sakarya toPaphlagonia.
The broad tract which projects towards the west as far as the shores of the Bosporus, though hilly and covered with forests (known inTurkish today as theAğaç Denizi, or "Sea of Trees") is not traversed by any mountain chain. The west coast is indented by two deep inlets: the northernmost, the Gulf of Astacus (today theGulf of İzmit), penetrating between 40 and 50 miles (64 and 80 km) into the interior as far asNicomedia (todayİzmit), separated by anisthmus of only about 25 miles (40 km) from theBlack Sea; and the Gulf of Cius (today theGulf of Gemlik), about 25 miles (40 km) long. At the extremity of the latter there was the small town of Cius (today Gemlik), at the mouth of a valley, communicating withLake Ascania, on which Nicaea was located.[1]
The principal rivers were: the Sangarios, which traversed the province from south to north; the Rhyndacus, which separated it from Mysia; and the Billaeus, which rose in the Aladağ, about 50 miles (80 km) from the sea, and after flowing by modernBolu (ancient Bithynion/Claudiopolis) emptied into the Black Sea, close to the ruins of the ancientTium, about 40 miles (64 km) northeast ofHeraclea Pontica (the modernKaradeniz Ereğli), having a course of more than 100 miles (160 km).
The valleys towards the Black Sea abounded in fruit trees of all kinds, such as oranges, while the valley of the Sangarius and the plains near Prusa and Nicaea were fertile and well-cultivated. Extensive plantations ofmulberry trees supplied the silk for which Prusa had long been celebrated, and which was manufactured there on a large scale.[1]
Bithynia is named for theThracian tribe of theBithyni, mentioned byHerodotus (VII.75) alongside theThyni. The "Thraco-Phrygian" migration from the Balkans to Asia Minor would have taken place at some point following theBronze Age collapse or during the early Iron Age. The Thyni and Bithyni appear to have settled simultaneously in the adjoining parts of Asia, where they expelled or subdued theMysians,Caucones and other minor tribes. According to one view, small indigenous peoples, such as theMariandyni, managed to survive in the northeastern lands of Bithynia. According toStrabo, theMariandyni were a branch of theBithyni and ofThracian origin. They settled east of the riverHypius (today Büyük Melen Su).[2] Different views suggest that theMariandyni people may have been a native tribe similar to thePaphlagonians or shared a common ancestor with them.[3][4] Herodotus mentions the Thyni and Bithyni as settling side by side.[1] No trace of their original language has been preserved, but Herodotus describes them as of Thracian extraction.
Later theGreeks established on the coast the colonies of Cius, Chalcedon (modernKadıköy) and Heraclea Pontica.[5]
The Bithynians were incorporated by kingCroesus within theLydian monarchy, which was conquered byPersia in 546 BC. Bithynia was included in thesatrapy ofPhrygia, which comprised all the countries up to the Hellespont and Bosporus.[1]
Even before the conquest byAlexander the Great, the Bithynians appear to have asserted their independence, and successfully maintained it under two native princes,Bas andZipoites, the latter of whom assumed the title of king (basileus) in 297 BC.
As aRoman province, the boundaries of Bithynia changed frequently. During this period, Bithynia was commonly united for administrative purposes with the province of Pontus. This was the situation at the time ofEmperorTrajan, whenPliny the Younger was appointed governor of the combined provinces (109/110 – 111/112), a circumstance which has provided historians with valuable information concerning the Roman provincial administration at that time.
Under theByzantine Empire, Bithynia was again divided into two provinces, separated by the Sangarius. Only the area to the west of the river retained the name of Bithynia.[5]
Bithynia attracted much attention because of its roads and its strategic position between the frontiers of theDanube in the north and theEuphrates in the south-east. To secure communications with theeastern provinces, the monumentalbridge across the river Sangarius was constructed around 562. Troops frequently wintered at Nicomedia.
During this time, the most important cities in Bithynia were Nicomedia and Nicaea. The two had a long rivalry with each other over which held the rank of capital.
As found in theNotitia Dignitatum. Provincial administration reformed anddioceses established byDiocletian,c. 293. Permanentpraetorian prefectures established after the death ofConstantine I. Empire permanently partitioned after 395. Exarchates ofRavenna andAfrica established after 584. After massive territorial losses in the 7th century, the remaining provinces were superseded by thetheme system in c. 640–660, although inAsia Minor and parts of Greece they survived under the themes until the early 9th century.
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