CHAPTER TWO

Second Foundation

The Milesians, seeing that the Cimmerians were defeated and the Black Sea coasts safe again for colonization, once more began to establish their trade. They arrived in Sinop about 635 R, C.. and the date for the second and permanent founding of Sinop is 73 B. C. From Sinop, the Milesians were thus able to trade their woolen goods for the flax. steel, silver, and the slaves of Coichis. The Milesians constructed two harbors for Sinop, one on each side of the city. The north harbor soon grew unsuitable and only the south harbor was protected enough for their fragile ships against the unpredictable Black Sea waters. As their commerce became greater, they established another harbor on a crescent shaped land-head with a small island in the harbor. They named this harbor, Harmene, from the Greek, ‘armena’, which means ‘rigging of ships’. Here were located shipyards and refitters.

Sinop began to prosper overnight with its trade in the Black Sea area. It was so well located, that it became the central point of local trade as well as the headquarters for all merchants from Greece and even far away Egypt, who were dealing with Colchis and Crimea. (7) Sinop was chiefly famous for its fish. Its catches of mullet were considered delicacies by the wealthy. Great schools of tunny on their way to the Bosphorus from their spawning places would pass near Sinop, Great catches of these fish were taken, easily salted, and exported to great distances. As Sinop grew in trade, it began to establish colonies of its own. Amisus, (8) Trapezus (9), Cotyora, and Cerasus soon became important colonies of Sinop. From them, along with her own produce, Sinop exported wheat, corn, barley, rice, figs, peaches, apricots, pears. plums, apples, nuts, and olives. From the colony of Cerasus and Sinop’s outlying districts came great abundances of cherries. In addition, Sinop mined iron in the mountains south of Cotyora and manufactured steel tools. From inland Cappadocia was brought a red dirt called Sinopic because it was a chief export of Sinop for medicinal and color pigment purposes. The Greeks displayed their ships proudly with various colors and Sinopic red was widely used. Lumber from the forests near Sinop which comprised of maple, walnut, and chestnut went into the making of furniture. Other woods such as pine were used in the construction of ships.

The Milesians also began to enhance the beauty of their city. Where a Turkish castle and prison are today, stood once the Greek acropolis of the time (see fig. 1). Here was located the chief temple and treasury of the city. The Milesians also were famous for their physical culture and competition in the Greek games. Sinop youths were notable participants in games all over the Greek world. A gymnasium must have been one of the chief constructions of the Milesians. Temples to the favorite gods were built. They were dedicated to Poseidon and Apollo and later to Zeus, Athena, Hermes, Ceres, Demeter, Dionysus, Asclepius, the Diocuri, Serapis, and Isis. Even the argonauts, Autolycus, Phlogius, Perseus, and Heracles, were deified. By 560 B.C., Sinop businessmen (see fig. 2) enjoyed a higher standard of living which enabled them to use elaborate pottery imported from Corinth (10). Sculptures were also imported, and many tombs were highly decorated. The Istanbul Museum contains from Sinop, a decorated tomb of boys bearing grapes. Many terracotta figurines (see figs. 4, 5, & 6) were molded and some were used for decoration for both interior and exterior (see fig. 7) of buildings. Mosaic floors were used in their temples as revealed in the excavations of the temple dating to the 7th century B.C. in Sinop (see fig. 8). Many other sculptures and reliefs of Sinop have since been placed in other museums or have been removed to private collections. The Sinop museum contains a few items of this period (see figs. 9, 10, & 11), but in its present status, it is inadequate to contain any valuable pieces.

In 560 B.C., Croesus became king of Lydia and established his domain throughout Asian Turkey. The Sinop area was still isolated from the rest of Asian Turkey due to inadequate roads. But Sinop, since it was colonized by Milesians, and Miletus was not a part of Lydia, had to pay tribute to Lydia in order to enjoy her freedom, even though she was isolated.

Within a short time, in 546 B.C., Cyrus of Persia conquered Lydia and Sinop’s tribute switched to Persia, and again her isolation discouraged invasion. Under this isolation period, Sinop enjoyed her freedom as before and continued to grow and prosper.

AN ATHENIAN COLONY

With the danger of their trade along the Black Sea coasts threatened by pirates, Athens was concerned over the assurance of continued imports of corn, fish, and wood which she vitally needed. So to exert her naval power to protect trading, Pericles in 444 B. C., sailed into the Black Sea and visited Sinop. Desiring to make allies and to establish Athenian supremacy, he decided to make Sinop an Athenian foothold. He left his lieutenant, Lamachus, with thirteen ships to expel Timesilaus, who had seized control of the government of Sinop for himself. When Pericles returned to Athens, the city voted in favor of Sinop’s colonization and sent six hundred volunteer colonists to occupy the houses and lands of the defeated tyrant and his men. When the Peloponnesian war took place in 431 B.C., Sinop sent men to fight on the side of Athens. The Athenians also established themselves in Amisus and renamed the city Piraeus. They made it a free city-state independent of Sinop. With the coming of roads, Piraeus began to rival Sinop in trade. Sinop’s prosperity depended on sea trade, and was hardly accessible by land, as Piraeus was. But Sinop retained her colonies of Trapezus, Cotyora, and Cerasus, and continued to do well in trade. Milesian traditions in the city were retained, Poseidon Heliconicus, the patron of the Ionian confederation, and Apollo, the favorite deity of Miletus, still kept their high places. The black glazed pottery of Athens (see figs. 6, 9, 12, 13, 14, & 15), and the double-handled pottery of the Greek island of Cos (see fig. 16), found in abundance in excavations at Sinop, attest to the extensive importance that the Athenian settlement brought. Sinop, after its Athenian colonization, went into a golden period of democracy. Aristotle was later to consider Sinop worthy of a constitution, Geographers began to determine their maps with special relation to Sinop. The two greatest rivers known to the Greek world were the Nile and the Danube. Greek geography considered that both flowed straight north and south and that they were in the same meridian. This same meridian they drew through Sinop.

In 412 B.C., the famous cynic philosopher, Diogenes, was born in Sinop. However, he did not gain his fame as a philosopher there. His being born in Sinop is comparable to President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s being born in Texas. Neither gained his fame in either place. Diogenes’ father was a banker who was convicted by the citizens for counterfeiting money on the side. However, Diogenes and his father, Icesias, managed to escape the angered Greeks. At Athens, Diogenes joined the school of Antisthenes, and from there gained his fame. He died in Corinth in 323 B.C.

MARCH OF THE TEN THOUSAND

401 B.C. witnessed the revolt of the Greeks under Persian domination. Citizens from all the Greek city-states banded themselves together to fight Their generals having been murdered, continued war seemed unfeasible. The remainder of the army, ten thousand Greeks, elected Xenophon to lead them back to their homes in Greece, They decided to march from inland Asian Turkey and return by way of the Black Sea coast by sea. The Greek settlers in Trapezus, Cerasus, and Cotyora, the colonies of Sinop, were quite upset by the imposing number of ten thousand Greeks that came down on them from the mountains. Here was an enormous band of men, citizens from all the various city-states, paying homage to no king, and not having allegiance to any country; but joined together only as soldiers by electing their generals and deciding their courses of action in general assemblies. At the same time, these men, under the conditions of retreat and lacking good facilities for food, clothing, medicine, and shelter, can be said to have been amazingly organized. The fact that they respected the rights of the Greek colonist was truly heroic. The Greeks of Trapezus and Cerasus provided them with food; and the rest that they needed, the soldiers took from the native Colchians. However, a misunderstanding a-rose when the Greeks of Cotyore did not give them food and shelter. The soldiers proceeded to steal what food they needed and obtained shelter for the sick. The Greeks of Cotyora sent complaints to Sinop and within a short time, Sinop sent its delegation. The leader of the delegation was Hecatonymous, a renowned orator. It might do well to quote his speech to the ten thousand here:

"Soldiers, the city of Sinop congratulates you, Greeks, who have conquered barbarians. We are sincerely happy that you have arrived here safely; for we have heard of the trials and hardships of your journey. However, since we are Greeks ourselves we expect you to treat us as Greeks. We have done you no harm and the people of Cotyora tell us that you have taken food and quarters by force. We do not consider this just, and may feel it necessary to make alliances to defend ourselves."

Xenopbon replied, "Citizens of Sinop, we feel proud and thankful that we have arrived here with our bodies in one piece. We have had no baggage room or time to carry booty and fight at the same time. Here we are now ... among Greek cities. At Trapezus, they gave us food and we paid for it. We also offered sacrifices in their name for the gifts that we received from them. Any favors within our power to give them, we gave. Ask them for yourselves what kind of guests we were. So far, we have taken from the natives only what we have needed without any uncalled-for aggression. What we have taken from your people of Cotyora, they would not give when we asked to buy. Their loss by our. necessary needs is their own fault They have actually given us the impression that they don’t want our friendship, since they even refused to take In our wounded and sick. However, if you wish to make these alliances that you speak of, we are prepared to fight you and your allies. Already we have fought superior forces and won. There are rumors that the king of Paphlagonia has desires to the effect of including your city and its possessions in his kingdom. If needs be, we can help him realize his ambition."

Then one of the ambassadors of Sinop spoke, "Evidently, there has been a misunderstanding. Because, we have no desire for war. When you come to Sinop, we will welcome you with the best of our hospitality. At the present, we will tell the people of Cotyora to give you what they can."

After this, things went along more smoothly. Hectonymous warned them of marching any farther inland to avoid meeting the hostile barbarians there. He assured Xenophon and the general assembly that despite the inconvenience to Sinop, it would lend and help them with ship passage. "What ships Sinop can not provide, some may travel overland to Heraclea (11) where they may obtain more ships." Xenophon and the assembly agreed to most of the plan of Hecatonymous; but Xenophon did not wish to divide the army and stated, "We must all sail out together or not at all." He then appointed his own delegation to travel back to Sinop with Hecatonymous to make the necessary arrangements. Meanwhile, there was some argument in the assembly as to whether or not some should stay behind in the colonies, rather than return to their homeland. Xenophon said, "The ides would be fine, if the entire army of ten thousand would found a new city; but in any case, we must stick together, because it is our great number that decides our power and ability to succeed in whatever course we take."

A vote was taken, and the decision was that the entire army would continue its journey to the homeland rather than stay and found a city. They then proceeded to march to Sinop and made camp outside of Harmene on the Ince Burun, which was the port of Sinop at that time. They stayed there five days until they obtained sufficient ships to depart. After receiving four thousand bushels of barley-meal and fifteen hundred jars of wine from the people of Sinop, Xenophon offered two victims to Zeus on the sacred hill of Harmene in thanksgiving for the people of Sinop, the safety of the ten thousand, and for their continued success in their journey home. Then they set sail for Heraclea.

LAST BID FOR FREEDOM

Again, due to Sinop’s remote position, it continued to escape Persian domination and continued to be s free city-state. For a brief period, however, in 370 B.C., it was seized by Datames, the rebellious satrap of Cappadocia. After his rule, Sinop regained its former position.
With the prospects of Alexander’s invasion, Sinop was not much concerned. Its nominal subjection to the king of Persia was a humiliation, but they were able to continue their independence under it. The prospects of a new rule and many Greek mercenaries through the land might have meant new trouble. In 334 B.C., Alexander began his conquest of Persia. He took notice, however, of the Greek cities on the northern coast of Asian Turkey. When he defeated the Persian king and met the ambassadors of Sinop, he sent them back home to keep the same independence that they had enjoyed before. Piraeus was under a Persian tyrant at this time; and at the victory of Alexander over Persia, they revolted in his name and became free again and renamed the city Amisus.

After Alexander, Sinop remained independent of the Seleucids and even the kings of Pontus. But Sinop suffered internally from the divided rule of the Diodochi. Mass rule and anarchy followed their downfall and the tyrant Scydrothenis took the power for himself. It was during this time that Ptolemy of Egypt acquired for a great sum of money, the famous statue of Serapis from Sinop for his own new temple in Egypt. Sinop’s government remained in the hands of benevolent tyrants and possessed independence as a city during the third century B.C. To gain allies, it entered into friendship with the powerful Greek island of Rhodes. Sinop would exchange produce goods for the weapons and arms of Rhodes. It was this alliance that repulsed the attack of Mithridates II on Sinop in 220 B.C. and discouraged this king of Pontus all further plans he might have had to take the city.

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