The Çarşamba Plain, the ancient Themiscyra Plain (; ''Themiskyra''), is a plain on the
Black Sea coast of
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, formed largely of the
delta
Delta commonly refers to:
* Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet
* D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet
* River delta, at a river mouth
* Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...
of the
Yeşilırmak river (ancient Iris), but also traversed by the much smaller
Terme (ancient Thermodon) river. It is the largest delta plain on the Black Sea coast of Turkey. It lies within the
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...
of
Tekkeköy,
Çarşamba
Çarşamba is a municipality and district of Samsun Province, Turkey. Its area is 774 km2, and its population is 140,664 (2022). It is in the center of the Çarşamba Plain. The mayor is Hüseyin Dündar (Independent). Ferhan Şensoy - writ ...
,
Terme, and
Salıpazarı on the eastern part of the
province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Samsun
Samsun is a List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, city on the north coast of Turkey and a major Black Sea port. The urban area recorded a population of 738,692 in 2022. The city is the capital of Samsun Province which has a population of ...
.
[Harun Reşit Bağci, "Yeşi̇lirmak Deltasi’nda (Çarşamba/Samsun) Doğal Ortam İnsan İli̇şki̇leri̇ Ve Doğal Çevre Planlamasi", doctoral thesis, Ondokuz Mayıs University (Samsun), October 2017 ]
The town of Tekkeköy lies on the west end of the plain. Çarşamba lies in the middle, and is traversed by the Yeşilırmak. Terme (the ancient
Themiscyra), on the east, is traversed by the Terme, as is Salıpazarı in the south.
The ancient plain has been described as:
a rich and beautiful district, ever verdant... hat
A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...
suppl edfood for numberless herds of oxen and horses... produced great abundance of grain, especially pannick and millet... nd thatthe southern parts near the mountains furnished a variety of fruits, such as grapes, apples, pears, and nuts in such quantities that they were suffered to waste on the trees.... thology describes tas the native country of the Amazons.
During the Middle Ages, the Yeşilırmak delta was known as
Limnia.
The area was originally controlled by the
Empire of Trebizond
The Empire of Trebizond or the Trapezuntine Empire was one of the three successor rump states of the Byzantine Empire that existed during the 13th through to the 15th century. The empire consisted of the Pontus, or far northeastern corner of A ...
, which appointed an official called a ''
kephale'' ("head") here to collect taxes.
Itt was ceded to the Turkish emirate of the
Taceddinoğulları in 1379 when the emir Tadj ed-Din married
Eudokia, daughter of the Trapezuntine emperor
Alexios III.
The emirate also controlled the coast east of
Çam Burnu, passing
Perşembe and
Bozuk Kale, which was separated from Limnia by the separate emirate of
Chalybia
The Chalybes (; ; ka, ხალიბები, Khalibebi) and Chaldoi (; ) were peoples mentioned by classical authors as living in Pontus and Cappadocia in northern Anatolia during Classical Antiquity. Their territory was known as Chaldia, ext ...
(based at
Ünye
Ünye (''Oinòe'', Οἰνόη in ancient Greek) is a municipality and district of Ordu Province, Turkey. Its area is 569 km2, and its population is 132,432 (2022). It is on the Black Sea coast, 76 km west of the city of Ordu.
Geography ...
).
Further reading
* Cited by Schmitz in the Thermodon article, ''op. cit.'':
:*
Aeschylus
Aeschylus (, ; ; /524 – /455 BC) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek Greek tragedy, tragedian often described as the father of tragedy. Academic knowledge of the genre begins with his work, and understanding of earlier Greek tragedy is large ...
''Prometheus Bound'
722
:* ''
Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)
The ''Bibliotheca'' (Ancient Greek: ), is a compendium of Greek mythology, Greek myths and heroic legends, genealogical tables and histories arranged in three books, generally dated to the first or second century AD. The work is commonly describe ...
'
ii.5.9:*
Apollonius of Rhodes
Apollonius of Rhodes ( ''Apollṓnios Rhódios''; ; fl. first half of 3rd century BC) was an ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek author, best known for the ''Argonautica'', an epic poem about Jason and the Argonauts and their quest for the Go ...
ii. 370
:*
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...
,
Naturalis Historia
The ''Natural History'' () is a Latin work by Pliny the Elder. The largest single work to have survived from the Roman Empire to the modern day, the ''Natural History'' compiles information gleaned from other ancient authors. Despite the work' ...
br>
vi.(3).9-10:*
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...
,
Naturalis Historia
The ''Natural History'' () is a Latin work by Pliny the Elder. The largest single work to have survived from the Roman Empire to the modern day, the ''Natural History'' compiles information gleaned from other ancient authors. Despite the work' ...
br>
xxiv.(102).165:* Strab
:* Strab
References
Plains of Turkey
Geography of Samsun Province
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