  Shown within Turkey | |
| Location | Turkey |
|---|---|
| Region | Bursa Province |
| 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), later renamedPrusias on the Sea (/ˈpruːʒəs/;Latin:Prusias ad Mare) after kingPrusias I of Bithynia, was anancient Greek city bordering the Propontis (now known as theSea of Marmara), inBithynia and inMysia (in modern northwestern Turkey), and had a long history, being mentioned byHerodotus,Xenophon,Aristotle,Strabo andApollonius Rhodius.
Cius was strategically placed at the head of a gulf in the Propontis, called the gulf of Cius, orCianus Sinus. Herodotus calls itCius of Mysia;[1] and alsoXenophon,[2] from which it appears that Mysia, even in Xenophon's time, extended at least as far east as the head of the gulf of Cius.Pliny the Elder reports that Cius was aMilesian colony.[3] It was at the foot ofMount Arganthonius, and there was a myth thatHylas, one of the companions ofHeracles on the voyage toColchis, was carried off by the nymphs when he went to get water here; and also thatCius, another companion of Heracles, on his return from Colchis, stayed here and founded the city, to which he gave his name.[4] Pliny mentions a river Hylas and a river 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.
The Cius may be the channel by which the lake Ascania 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,[5] 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.
Cius was taken by thePersians, after the burning ofSardis, in 499 BC.[1] It joined theAetolian League, and was destroyed byPhilip V of Macedon in theSecond Macedonian War (200-197), and given by him toPrusias I of Bithynia. Prusias, who had assisted Philip in ruining Cius, restored it under the name ofPrusias (Προυσιάς).[6][7] It was sometimes called Prusias ἐπιθαλασσίη, or "on the sea," to distinguish it from other towns of the same name,[8][9] or πρὸς θάλασσαν. In the text ofMemnon the reading isCierus;[9] but Memnon, both in this and other passages, has confounded Cius andCierus. But it is remarked that Cius must either have still existed by the side of the new city, or must have recovered its old name; for Pliny mentions Cius, and also Mela,[10]Zosimus,[11] and writers of a still later date. It was a member of theDelian League.[12]
It was an important chain in the ancientSilk Road and became known as a wealthy town.
There are coins of Cius, with the legend Κιανων, belonging to theRoman 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.[13][14][15] No longer a residential bishopric, Cius is today listed by theCatholic Church as atitular see.[16]
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 new modern town ofGemlik,Bursa Province,Turkey is found.
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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