Byzantium

• Byzantium, now Istanbul, was founded by the Greeks in 657 BCE and the city has been continuously inhabited for two and a half thousand years. It has a Port and Harbour, known as the Golden Horn.
• It lies on the Bosphorus, with its rich fishing grounds, and is strategically located between two continents, Europe and Asia.

Name Changes

1. Byzantium becomes Constantinople (326 CE)
   • In 326 CE, Byzantium was renamed Constantinople by Constantine I.
   • Capital of the Byzantine Empire (395-1453 CE). It became the Capital of the Eastern Roman Empire which later became known as the Byzantine Empire. It was also the terminus of the Silk Road from China.
   • Capital of the Ottoman Empire (1453 to 1922 CE). 1453 CE Constantinople became the capital of the Ottoman Empire it was captured by the  Ottoman Turks.
2. Constantinople becomes Istanbul (1930-today)
   • In 1930 Constantinople was renamed Istanbul.
   • Ankara became the capital of the new Republic of Turkey in 1923.

Roman Roads

• Via Egnatia
  • Durres–Thessalonica–Edirne (Adrianople)-Byzantium (Istanbul
• Via Militaris
  • Belgrade–Sofia–Plovdiv–Edirne (Adrianople)-Byzantium (Istanbul)

Byzantium-Constantinople-Istanbul