Diogenes of Sinope
Diogenes 'the cynic' of Sinope was a philosopher and as his name suggests, was born in Sinope, Pontus (current day Turkey) in 412 BC although some sources have his birth at 399BC. According to Diogenes Laertius, he died on the same day as Alexander the Great in 323BC, most probably in Corinth at about 90 years of age.
A History of Trabzon
Trabzon is a town with over 230,000 people (2009 census – it is currently believed to be over 300,000) on the northeast Turkish Black Sea coast at latitude 41°00′ north and longitude 39°45′ east (Figure 1). It is the second largest Turkish urban centre (after Samsun) on the Black Sea.
A History of Bafra, Pontos
Bafra is located nearly 20 km from the Black Sea and 52 km north-west of Samsun in northern Turkey. This paper briefly describes the history of Bafra in Pontos [Greeks call the north-east corner of Anatolia adjacent to the Black Sea, Pontos.
The Soumela Monastery
The former Greek Orthodox monastery of the Virgin Mary, Soumela is 48 km south of Trabzon via Machka in Turkey. The monastery is perched on the cliff face of Karadağ.
Tokat - Τοκάτη - Tokat
Tokat (Gr: Τοκάτη) is a town and province in the western region of Pontus. It was also referred to as Tokation (Gr: Τοκάτιον). During the Byzantine era it was known as Evdokiada (Gr: Eυδοκιάδα). During Ottoman times the name Tokat was the name of the district and sanjak which the town was situated in. It was sometimes called Dokia (Gr: Δόκεια).
Sevasteia - Σεβάστεια - Sivas
Sivas which is known by Greeks as Sevasteia (Gr: Σεβάστεια) was in earlier times called Suvaz and was an ancient town and now a seat of a prefecture in Turkey. The town was built at the foot of Mount Paryadris (Gr) and 2km from the Ali/Halys River (Tr: Kizilirmak).
Santa - Σάντα - Dumanli
Santa (Gr: Σάντα, Tr: Dumanli) was a Greek town in Pontus in the province of Argyroupolis (Gümüşhane) situated 52km south east of Trabzon. Prior to 1923 it was made up of 7 settlements and was inhabited entirely by Greeks, approximately 6,000 in number.
Kotyora - Κοτύωρα - Ordu
Kotyora (Ordu in Turkish) is a seaside town which dates back to Ancient times. There is a reference in Homer's Iliad in which it is referred to as Kitoros. In ancient times and before the Persians. the town enjoyed it's own independence, as it did during the reign of the Kingdom of Pontus.
Amisos - Σαμψούντα - Samsun
Amisos, otherwise known as Samsunta by Greeks, is today’s Samsun, a city situated on the shoreline of the historic region of Pontus, in today’s Turkey. The name Samsunta is derived from Amisos; Eis Amison (towards Amisos) -> s’Amison -> s’Amson -> Samsunta.
Kerasunda - Κερασούντα - Giresun
Kerasunda (historically Kerasus, today Giresun) like most of the Greek settlements along the Pontic coastline was established by Sinope. It was founded around the 6th century BC. In 183 BC it was renamed Pharnacia in honor of Pharnaces the King of Pontus who took Kerasunda after capturing Sinope.
Argyroupoli - Αργυρούπολη - Gümüşhane
Argyroupoli (Gr: Αργυρούπολη, Tr: Gümüşhane) is a city located 80 km south of Trabzon in Pontus (north eastern Turkey), and was the home town of the historic province of Chaldia. The city was established around 700 BC as the settlement of Thyra (Gr: Θύρα) by Ionian Greeks who first discovered silver in the region.
