It was founded according to Eusebius, about the 30th Olympiad, that is 656 years before the birth of Christ, during the reign of the Roman king Tull us Hostilius ; but, according to Diodorus Siculus, the foundations of By zantium were laid as far back as the Argonautic expe dition, 1250 years before the Christian era. The foun der, he says, was one Byzas, a king of the neighbouring country, from whom Byzantium derived its name. Eus tathius says, that this Byzas came into Greece, and set tled there with a colony of Megaroeans, a short time before the Argonauts arrived in those seas. Velleitts Paterculus supposes Byzantium to have been founded by the Alilesians, and Ammianus Marcellinus ascribes it to the Atticans. Vetus Byzantiternyitticorum colonia, says he. Probably the Alilesians were a colony of Atti cans ; and if so, Velleius and Ammianus are perfectly reconciled. But it is probable that these last mentioned people only rebuilt or repaired Byzantium, after it had been destroyed or had fallen into decay. Medals of ancient Byzantium have reached our times, bearing the name and head of l3yzas, with the prow of a ship on the reverse.
Justin says, that Pausanias the Spartan first built By zantium, but in this he must have been mistaken ; for we learn from Thucydides and Herodotus, that Pausanias, about the year B. C. 476, took it from the Persians, who had made themselves masters of it, before he had been in that quarter. Pausanias probably rebuilt and im proved Byzantium while he continued to possess it, and while he there carried on his treacherous correspondence with the Persians.
The city underwent many revolutions and frequently changed masters, having been sometimes in the posses sion of the Persians, sometimes of the Lacedannonians, and also of the Athenians, who took it about the year B. C. 407. In the year B. C. 339, it was attacked by Philip of Macedon, who, after a tedious siege, was com pelled by Phocion, the Athenian general, to relinquish his object and retreat.
The whole of Greece, together with 14c-1a, Rhodes, Samos, Cilicia, Thrace, and Byzantium, after many vi •issitudes, was, in A. D. 71, reduced to the state of Ho man provinces by Vespasian.
The siege of 13yzantium, by Severus, which com menced A. D. 194, and continued for three years, was, both for the obstinacy of the deft nee, and the cruelty exercised by the conquerors after its capture, one of the most extraordinary recorded in history. II:tying taken part with Niger, in the contest betwixt him and Severus, the latter invested it in due form. But though during the siege, the bloody battle of Issus was fought, which terminated in the defeat and death of Nigel, and though his head, when sent to Byzantium, was exhibited to the besieged on the point of a spear, yet the city still held out.
In addition to the natural advantages and strength of the place, the Byzantines had, both before and during the siege, pro\ ided themselves with warlike machines of various sorts; sonic of which hurled against the besieg ers when they approached the walls, large beams and stones, whilst others showered upon them darts and smaller stones to a greater distance. Strong iron hooks
fast •ned to chains were let down from the wall, and tirtu,ged up whatever they laid hold of.
On Periscus, a famous Bithynian engineer, is said to have been the constructor of these machines ; and was more fortunate after the capture of the city than the ce lebrated Archimedes of Syracuse ; for his life was spared by Severus, who hoped to profit by his talents. The entrance of the harbour was barred by a strong chain, and its piers on each side were fortified by towers. It contained 500 small vessels, of which the greater part nad pointed iron prows ; and some of them were con structed with a rudder at each end, and had a double complement of men to work them, so that without turn ing, and at a moment's warning, they could advance or retire as occasion required. When the besieged lost any of their ships, they built others of the timber of their houses, and the women cut off their hair to supply ma terials for ropes. A Very extraordinary stratagem is said to have been employed by them fur taking some of the ships of the enemy. Divers, says Dion Cassius, swim ming under water, cut the cable of an enemy's ship and drove into her bottom a strong nail fastened to a rope ; the other end of the rope being in one of their own ships, they could thus haul off the vessel of the enemy. When their supply of darts and common stones failed, they de molished the walls of their theatres, and hurled the stones of them against the foe.
Famine became so tuT-ent, that they were at length re duced to the necessity c f using ere most loathsome' sub stances for food, and ev• n bureau flesh itself. AL last, while in this miserable situation, sonic of the most daring and vigorous took advantage of a storm that arose, to embark on board their ships and bring a supply of food for their fellow citizens, or peristi in the attempt. They were, however, attacked by the besiegers on their re n, and so completely destroyed that not a single ship escaped. Deprived of the it lint hope, the Byzantines were compelled to surrender ; and the min.] contem plates with loner• and disgust a people, after a defence so brave and protracted, deprie eel of their estate s and sold for slaves,—their ma:.;istrat( s, commanders, and soldiers, indiscriminately massacred, and the walls of their city levell«1 with the ground ; yet such was the treatment they received from their ungenerous conquer ors. Dion Cassius says, he saw their city after its ca•ure " in such a state of ruin, that it might have been thought to have heen taken by the barbarians, rather than t•.• Romans." Not long, however, after this tc •rible catas t•ophe, SCVCIAIS himself caused a part of the c ity to be is built, and chLmged its name to Antenina in complimei to his son Caraealla, whose proper name was Amoninus But he did not restore the privileges of a free city, not . re% erse the decree by which it had been subjected by him to the dominion of its neighbours, the Perinthians.