The Relationships Between the Greek Colonists and the Bithynians in Bithynia During the pre-Hellenistic Period

Abstract

This paper provides an account of the evidence concerning the relationships between the Greek colonists and the Bithynians in Bithynia during the pre-Hellenistic Period. The past two decades have seen increasing amount of literature on the Greek Colonisation in the Black Sea Region thanks to the existence of archaeological excavations and surveys. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the relationships between the Greek colonists and the indigenous people. As to the sources for this period in Bithynia, historical accounts are more accessible, than archaeological records which are scarce. Therefore, the ancient written sources, although they are mostly non-contemporaneous, will primarily be evaluated and archaeological finds will also be touched upon in this context where they are attested in the region.For that reason, the second purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the gap in the current state of our knowledge of early settlements and settlers in Bithynia due to the lack of archaeological evidence from the region. The paper has been divided into two major parts. The first part deals with the origins and territory of Bithynia before the colonisation period. It touches upon the question of who the Bithynian people were, and where the Bithynian people settled in Bithynia. Secondly, this study examines how the relationships between the Greek Colonists and the Bithynians were shaped, and it therefore evaluates the relationships between the Greek colonists and the Bithynians.