Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume I Part 1.djvu/758

 740 CYZICU& ArUce. [Abtacb.] The site of Cjucm is near the isfchmuB on the east side, in 40^ 22' 30" N. lat (Hamilton^ HetearcheSf &c. voL iL p. 103.) The Tarks call the rains of Gyzicns Bal Kiz, the second part of which seems to be a part of the ancient name; and Bal is probably a Turkish corraption of the Greek TiaXala. (Leake, Asia Minor, p. 271.) There is a place called Aidinjik near the isthmns, on the mainland side, where there are manj marble fragments which have been brought from the neigh- bouring site of Cjzicus. Strabo (p. 575) eajs that Cjzicus is an island in the Propontis, which is joined to the mainland hj two bridges, and very fertile: it is about 500 stadia in circuit, and contains a city of the same name close to the bridges, and two doeed harbours, and ship- houses (vcfi&<roucoi) above 200: one part of the ci^ is on level ground, and the other ia close to a hill, which they call Bear Hill ("AfMcrvy Spos): there is another hill that lies above the city, a single height called Dindymon, which contains a temple of Dindy- mene the mother of the gods, which was founded by the Argonauts. S: ephanus («. v. KA(ucof) says that the town was also called "A/yxrwr vritros. The junc- tion of the island with the main is attributed to Alexander by Pliny (v. 32), who does not say how the junction was made. ApoUonius Rhodius, who wrote after Alexander's time, still calls it an isbnd {Argon, L 936), but he also speaks of an isthmus. He names one <k the ports Chytus; the other was named Panormus, as the Scholiast tells us. It is said that there are no signs of the bridges. The isthmus b above a mile long, and less than half a mile broad. It seems probable that moles were pushed out some distance, and then the opposite shores were connected by bridges. The whole passage is now a sandy flat. Hamilton (^RetearcheSf See voL ii. p. 98) says, '* we crossed the sandy isthmus which connects Cyzicus with the nuunland; near the south end, many huge blocks of stone, dug up in clearing a ndghbonring vineyard, had been collected into a heap." " The east side of the isthmus is now an extensive marsh, covered ?riUi reeds, and probably marks the site of the principal pent of Oyzicus, sepa- rated from the seapshore by a low ridge of sand hills thrown up by the united effi>rts of the winds and waves. Near the northem extremity, a long ditch runs from E. to W. full of water, with a wall of great strength, fortified by towers along its northern bank; its opening towards the sea is choked up by drifted sand, but it seems to be the entrance through which the galleys of Cyzicus were admitted to her capacious port." (Hamilton.) The nuns of Cyzicus are among cherry orchards and vineyards. There is a heap of niins covered with brushwood, where there are many subterraneous passages, some of which may be exjdored to the length of more than a hundred feet. These passages are connected with each other, and appear to be tibe substructions of some large buildings. Cyzicus in Strabo's time had many large public buildings (Strab. p. 575), and it maintained three architects to look after them and the machinery (Spyaya). It possessed three store-houses, one for arms, one for the machinery or engines, and one for corn. *' The masonry of these substructions is chiefly Hellenic, but in some places the walls are only cased with blocks of stone: in the roof of one of the vaults is a small square opening, r^ularly formed with a key- stone, all belonging to the origind construction." (HamOton.) If these substractions aigs not those of CTZICU8. the public granary, they may belong, as HandRoft suggests, to the great tonple desmbed by Aristides in his oration on Cyzicos (vol. i. p. 237, ed. Je^); but the extravagant bombast of this wordy rlieto^ rician diminishes our confidence in what he says. The Agora, he says, contained a most magnificent temple, and he speaks of the ports below ground being worthy of achninition. XiphiUnns (Dion Cassi vol ii. p. 1173, ed. Beimarus) says that the great temple of Cyzicus was destroyed by an earthquake in the time of Antoninus Pins; but this must be a mistake, and he means to speak of the great earth- quake that destroyed Smyrna and other cities in the time of Marcus, the successor of Plus. Aristides wrote a letter on the calamity of the dty of Smyrna, addressed to Aurelius and Commodns. This temple is described by Xiphilinus as of extraordinary di- mensions : the columns were fifty cuUts high, and of one stone. The Cyziceni n.sed the white maible of Prooonnesus far building. (Strab. p. 588.) " About a mile NE. by N. from these substrnctioDS are the remains of an amphitheatre, built in a wooded valley to the north of tiie plain, where are the prindpiil ruins of the city. Many of the pilasters and massive buttresses have yielded to the influence of time, bnt seven or eight are still standing oo the west ride of the valley, by which the circular ibrm of the bnilding may be distinctiy traced." (Hamilton.) A smaU stream flows throogh the middle of the arena; which circumstance, and the character of the maaoniy at the upper end of the building, led Hamilton to sup- pose that the place was also used as a Kamnachia. On a wooded hill to the east of the dty, rituated above the ruins, and near the apex of the dty walls, there are ^ only blocks of marble and broken columns buUt into the walls of the cottages." The site of the theatre, which fiwes the SW., is almost orer- grown ¥nth luxuriant vegetation. It is veiy laige^ and appears to be of Greek oonstroction, but it is in a very rained state. Some parts of the 8nbstra^• tions can be traced, but there is not a bfeck of marble to be seen, nor a single seat remainiug in its place. There are vestiges of the city walls in variooa parts, bnt it does not appear easy to taraoe tbdr whole exteuL Hamilton in one place speaks of ** heaps of ruins, long walls, and indistinct foundations, but so ov e rgrown with vegetation tiutt it was impoerible to make them out" He only found one inscription, a Greek one, of the Roman period. " On the whole," says Hamilton, *'I must say that the loose anid rabbly character of the bmldings of Cyzicus littie accords with the odebrity of its architects; and al- though some appear to have been cased with marble, none of them give an idea of the solid grandeur of the genuine Greek style." It seems likely that the larger blocks of muble have been xaurried away, though there is no large modem town near Cyzicus; but tiie materials of many andent towns near the sea have doubtiess been carried off to remote places. There are quarries of fine marble on the hills about Cyzicus, and near Aidinjik on the mainland; but granite was much used in the buildings of Cyzicus, and it is of a kind which is rapidly decomposed. The consequence is, that a rich v^etation has grown up, which itself destroys buildings and buries them. The sea-sand also that has been blown up on both sides of the isthmus may have covered the bosonenta at least of many buildings. It seems likdy, then, that excavations would bring to light many remains of a rich dty, of which Strabo says, that in his time '^ it rivals the first cities of Asia in magnitude^