Hellespont
The Hellespont, also known as the Dardanelles, is a narrow strait located between Thrace and the Troad in northwestern Asia Minor, connecting the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara. Historically significant, the Hellespont has been a pivotal route since the later eighth century BC, attracting Greek colonists. It gained further prominence when Persian King Xerxes I crossed it in 480 BC, followed by Alexander the Great in 334 BC. The strait played a crucial role in the civil war during AD 324 between Constantine I the Great and Licinius, impacting the control and expansion of the Roman Empire. The region is also rich in mythology, notably associated with the tragic love story of Hero and Leander, where their fateful romance unfolded across its waters. Overlooking the strait are the ancient ruins of Troy, famously depicted in Homer's Iliad. Additionally, there was a Roman province named Hellespontus that included the surrounding territories. The Hellespont remains a site of historical and cultural significance, linking various narratives and civilizations throughout the ages.
Hellespont
(Çanakkale Boǧazı, Dardanelles)
The narrow strait between Thrace and the Troad (northwestern Asia Minor) leading from the Aegean Sea to the Propontis (Sea of Marmara). The Hellespont began to receive Greek colonists in the later eighth century BC. It was crossed by the Persian King Xerxes I in 480 BC and again by Alexander the Great in 334. It also played a decisive part in the civil war between Constantine I the Great and Licinius in AD 324. Licinius had massed his fleet of three hundred and fifty ships at the Hellespont under Abantus, but Constantine destroyed the fleet and forced the narrows, thus cutting off Licinius' stronghold of Byzantium (Istanbul) from supplies by sea, and precipitating his downfall, which placed the entire empire in Constantine's hands. The strait derives its modern name, the Dardanelles, from Dardanus (Maltepe or Kusköy) on its Asiatic bank.
The Hellespont is overlooked by Troy, the scene of Homer's Iliad. But it is also famous in mythology for the love story of Hero and Leander, told by the poet Musaeus, who probably lived in the later fifth century AD. Hero was the priest of Aphrodite at Sestus on the European bank; Leander, who lived at Abydus on the Asian side, fell in love with her and used to swim across the Hellespont by night, until a storm put out the light by which she was accustomed to guide him, and he drowned; whereupon she, too, threw herself into the sea. During the later Roman empire there was a province of Hellespontus, comprising Mysia and districts to its east. See alsoAbydus, Cardia, Lampsacus, Sestus, Sigeum, Troy.