Crithote or Krithote () was an

ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

city located in Thrace, located in the region of the Thracian Chersonesos. It was on the

Hellespont The Dardanelles ( ; ; ), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli (after the Gallipoli peninsula) and in classical antiquity as the Hellespont ( ; ), is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey t ...

north of

Gallipolis Gallipolis ( ) is a village in Gallia County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located in Southeast Ohio along the Ohio River about southeast of Chillicothe and northwest of Charleston, West Virginia. The population was 3,313 ...

, and was an Athenian colony founded by

Miltiades Miltiades (; ; c. 550 – 489 BC), also known as Miltiades the Younger, was a Greek Athenian statesman known mostly for his role in the Battle of Marathon, as well as for his downfall afterwards. He was the son of Cimon Coalemos, a renowned ...

. It is cited in the ''

Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax The ''Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax'' is an ancient Greek periplus (περίπλους ''períplous'', 'circumnavigation') describing the sea route around the Mediterranean and Black Sea. It probably dates from the mid-4th century BC, specifically t ...

'' among the cities of the Thracian Chersonesos: Aegospotami, Cressa, Crithote, and

Pactya Pactya or Paktye () was an ancient Greek city located in ancient Thrace, on the Thracian Chersonesus. It is cited in the ''Periplus of Pseudo-Scylax'', in its recitation of the towns of the Thracian Chersonesus, along with Aegospotami, Cressa, C ...

. At the time of

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

it was in ruins. The geographer places it between the cities of Callipolis and Pactya.

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 ...

, for his part, says it was adjacent to the

Propontis The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...

, where were also the cities of Tiristasis and Cissa.

Isocrates Isocrates (; ; 436–338 BC) was an ancient Greek rhetorician, one of the ten Attic orators. Among the most influential Greek rhetoricians of his time, Isocrates made many contributions to rhetoric and education through his teaching and writte ...

highlights the excellent situation, from the strategic point of view, of the city, as a point of control of the

. Wherefore, the year 365 BCE, it was conquered, along with

Sestos Sestos (, ) was an ancient city in Thrace. It was located at the Thracian Chersonese peninsula on the European coast of the Hellespont, opposite the ancient city of Abydos, and near the town of Eceabat in Turkey. In Greek mythology, Sestos is ...

, by the Athenians under the command of

Timotheus Timotheus is a masculine given name. It is a latinized version of the Greek name (Timόtheos) meaning "one who honours God", from τιμή "honour" and θεός "god"., . The English version ''Timothy'' (and its variations) is a common name in s ...

. Bronze coins minted by Crithote are preserved, dated between 350 BCE and 281 BCE, with the inscriptions ΚΡΙ, ΚΡΙΘΟ o ΚΡΙΘΟΥΣΙΩΝ. Its site is located 2 miles (3 km) east of

Gelibolu Gelibolu is a town in Çanakkale Province of the Marmara Region, located in Eastern Thrace in the European part of Turkey. It is located on the southern shore of the Gallipoli, peninsula named after it on the Dardanelles strait, away from Lapsek ...

, in

Çanakkale Province Çanakkale Province () is a province of Turkey, located in the northwestern part of the country. It takes its name from the city of Çanakkale. Its area is 9,817 km2, and its population is 559,383 (2022). Like Istanbul, Çanakkale province ...

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 ...

References

Populated places in ancient Thrace Former populated places in Turkey Greek colonies in the Thracian Chersonese Cities in ancient Greece History of Çanakkale Province Athenian colonies {{Çanakkale-geo-stub

See also

References