The epigraphic and archaeological information obtained to date shows that mythological stories have an important place in the establishment of ancient cities. In ancient times, almost every city established in Anatolia, Greece or Italy tried to have a privileged and prestigious position among other cities by basing their origins on a strong mythological hero or god. Initially a male hero or God was chosen as ktistes (founder of the city) because setting up the city was considered a masculine activity and region or city was referred to by their name. However, this tradition has changed over time, it is seen that female characters can be selected as the city founders and the names of important women are given to the cities. Especially in the Classical Period, the Goddesses, Amazons and Nymphs were mentioned in the myth of the foundation of the cities and they were called as important mythological ktistes that give their names to the cities. Sinope, which is located in the northernmost part of Anatolia on the Black Sea coastline, has many mythological ktistes. The commercial importance of the city with its natural harbors has led to the establishment of colonies in the region by important cities such as Miletus, Corinth or Athens. In parallel with the colonial movements, the city has many establishment myths and ktistes. According to ancient sources Autolykos, Deileon and Phlogios were mentioned as Greek founders and Habrondas, Koos ve Kretines were mentioned as Milesian founders but the city was named after a founder named Sinope. The ancient sources are divided into two parts: Sinope is an Amazon or a Nymphe. In this study, the origin, personality and importance of Sinope were re-examined by considering ancient sources and related descriptions.
Primary Language | Turkish |
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Subjects | Archaeology |
Journal Section | Research Articles |
Authors | |
Publication Date | December 15, 2020 |
Submission Date | September 16, 2020 |
Acceptance Date | October 27, 2020 |
Published in Issue | Year 2020 |
Journal of Universal History Studies © 2018 by Sabit Dokuyan is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0