The Kelkit River ( or ''Kelkit Çayı''), is a river in the Black Sea Region 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 ...
. It is the longest tributary of the Yeşilırmak. Its name derives from the Armenian ''Gayl get'' ( 'wolf river', Kayl ked in Western Armenian pronunciation). Its Greek name is Lykos (), also meaning 'wolf', and romanized as Lycus.
It rises in Gümüşhane Province and runs through the provinces of Erzincan, Giresun,
Sivas
Sivas is a city in central Turkey. It is the seat of Sivas Province and Sivas District.İl Beledi ...
, and Tokat before flowing into the Yeşilırmak at the modern village of Kızılçubuk, near the site of the ancient city of Eupatoria. The Kelkit follows the North Anatolian Fault for about 150 km from
Suşehri
Suşehri (formerly: ''Endires'') is a town in Sivas Province of Turkey. It is the seat of Suşehri District.Resadiye and Niksar.
In Hellenistic times, a major east-west road following the valley of the Kelkit led from
Armenia Minor
Lesser Armenia (; ; ), also known as Armenia Minor and Armenia Inferior, comprised the Armenian-populated regions primarily to the west and northwest of the ancient Kingdom of Armenia (also known as Kingdom of Greater Armenia), on the western sid ...
to Bithynia.B. C. McGing, ''The Foreign Policy of Mithridates VI Eupator, King of Pontus'' (Mnemosyne Ser.: Suppl. 89), 1997. . p. 6''f''.
It was the site of the Battle of the Lycus in 66 BCE
Phanaroea
The valley for the last 40 km of the Kelkit's journey is the Erbaa plain (Erbaa Ovası), known in antiquity as the Phanaroea.