The Neapolis: How a Small Greek Colony Became Constantinople

In this episode, Lucas takes Luna back to the very beginning: the Greek city of Byzantion, founded around 657 BCE by Dorian colonists from Megara under the leadership of Byzas. The show explores the legendary tale of Byzas consulting the Oracle at Delphi, who famously told him to settle 'opposite the land of the blind.' The episode traces the city's early centuries as a small but strategically located trading port on the Bosporus, its role in the Peloponnesian War, its brief membership in the Delian League, and its resilience against Macedonian and Celtic invaders. Lucas draws on the accounts of Herodotus and Tacitus, and discusses the foundation myth involving King Byzas and the nymph Keroessa. Luna asks about the city's name, and Lucas explains how Byzantion eventually became Constantinople under Constantine the Great. The episode ends with a reflection on how the location's fate was tied to its geography—a Golden Horn, a strong current, and a peninsula that would one day anchor the Roman Empire.

#Byzantion #Byzas #Megara #OracleOfDelphi #GreekColonization #Bosporus #GoldenHorn #Keroessa #Herodotus #Tacitus #PeloponnesianWar #DelianLeague #Chalcedon #AncientGreece #ClassicalWorld #MegarianColony #History #FexingoHistory

Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo