The Secrets of Ancient Nicaea
I’ve just got back from visiting Iznik in north-western Turkey, better known by its ancient name of Nicaea.
Today it’s a sleepy little Turkish town but over a thousand years ago it was a large and bustling city in both the ancient and medieval worlds and one that witnessed events which changed history including, of course, the famous First Council of Nicaea in AD 325.
When you arrive the most striking thing you notice are the walls. These are well preserved and extend for five kilometres around the old city. There are four main gates and two of them still have the marble Roman arches built in Hadrian’s day. If you go to my YouTube channel, you’ll see what they look like. There are also two inscriptions, written in Greek, one dedicating the walls to Hadrian in the second century AD, and another about 500 years later, dedicated to the Byzantine emperor Leo III, who strengthened the walls.
Most of what we can see today is Leo’s work and he made Nicaea into one of the best fortified Byzantine cities along with Constantinople and Thessalonika. But there’s more to see than just the walls including a vast Roman theatre, built in Trajan’s day, which has recently been excavated and is staggering. There’s also the church of Hagia Sophia right in the middle of the city, built by the emperor Justinian in the sixth century, and the site of the Second Council of Nicaea in 787. And on the lakeside, there’s been another fascinating and very recent discovery of a huge Byzantine church, lying submerged in the water. Dedicated to a local saint called Neophytos, it was built around the time of the emperor Constantine’s reign and may have been the site of the First Council of Nicaea although most historians think that was in Constantine’s summer palace in Nicaea, of which virtually nothing remains.
In today's podcast, I look at three great events in history which put Nicaea firmly on the historical map - the first and second councils and also the siege of the city in 1097 which marked a pivotal moment in the First Crusade.
Enjoy!
NEW BOOK: THE INHERITORS OF ROME
The final book in my series on the Fall of the Roman Empire, The Inheritors of Rome, is now out in eBook and print on Amazon. The audiobook will be out next year.
Thank you again for your continued interest and support.
Have a great weekend!
Nick
PS I'd be delighted if you wanted to forward this email to a friend who might be interested.
Nick Holmes, c/o Puttenham Press Ltd, Unit 121195, PO Box 6945, London, W1A 6US
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