Harbor Of Eutropius
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The Harbor of Eutropius ( grc-gre, λιμήν Εὑτροπίου) was an artificial harbor east of
Chalcedon Chalcedon ( or ; , sometimes transliterated as ''Chalkedon'') was an ancient maritime town of Bithynia, in Asia Minor. It was located almost directly opposite Byzantium, south of Scutari (modern Üsküdar) and it is now a district of the cit ...
(modern-day
Kalamış Kalamış is a locality in the district of Kadıköy on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, Turkey. It is located between Kurbağalıdere, Kızıltoprak, Feneryolu and Fenerbahçe, Kadıköy, Fenerbahçe. It has a large marina and park. There are al ...
), along the coast of
Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
, during the
Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
. It was constructed by order of
Byzantine Emperor This is a list of the Byzantine emperors from the foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD, which marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, to its fall to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as le ...
Justinian Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovat ...
(), made of large
mole Mole (or Molé) may refer to: Animals * Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America * Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpida ...
s of black stone. It was likely the smallest of the harbors opposite the Byzantine capital
Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
, and served an unknown function. The harbor was the location for the execution of Emperor
Maurice Maurice may refer to: People * Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr * Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and ...
(), along with his sons, and later, the female members of his family. During the
Siege of Constantinople The following is a list of sieges of Constantinople, a historic city located in an area which is today part of Istanbul, Turkey. The city was built on the land that links Europe to Asia through Bosporus and connects the Sea of Marmara and the Bl ...
of 717–718, the harbor was one of the landing grounds of the invading
Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...
forces. With the expansion of the maritime districts of nearby Kalamış and Fenerbahçe in modern times, nothing remains of the harbor.


History

The Harbor of Eutropius was placed east of
Chalcedon Chalcedon ( or ; , sometimes transliterated as ''Chalkedon'') was an ancient maritime town of Bithynia, in Asia Minor. It was located almost directly opposite Byzantium, south of Scutari (modern Üsküdar) and it is now a district of the cit ...
(modern-day
Kalamış Kalamış is a locality in the district of Kadıköy on the Anatolian side of Istanbul, Turkey. It is located between Kurbağalıdere, Kızıltoprak, Feneryolu and Fenerbahçe, Kadıköy, Fenerbahçe. It has a large marina and park. There are al ...
), along the coast of
Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
in lands possessed by the
Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
. At the time of its construction, there was no permanent land connection between
Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...
and its Asia Minor counterparts, a situation which continued until 1973, when the
Bosphorus Bridge The Bosphorus Bridge ( tr, Boğaziçi Köprüsü), known officially as the 15 July Martyrs Bridge ( tr, 15 Temmuz Şehitler Köprüsü) and unofficially as the First Bridge ( tr, Birinci Köprü), is one of the three suspension bridges spannin ...
was completed. At most two prior attempts had been made to link the two lands in antiquity, both of which took the form of
pontoon bridges A pontoon bridge (or ponton bridge), also known as a floating bridge, uses floats or shallow-draft boats to support a continuous deck for pedestrian and vehicle travel. The buoyancy of the supports limits the maximum load that they can carry. ...
, intended for only a single use: once in 513 BC and a second one was allegedly made in 641 AD, although the narrative behind the second has been challenged. The trade between Constantinople and its adjacent suburbs was significant and important in antiquity, and much of the travel from Constantinople to the eastern provinces involved sailing across the
Bosphorus The Bosporus Strait (; grc, Βόσπορος ; tr, İstanbul Boğazı 'Istanbul strait', colloquially ''Boğaz'') or Bosphorus Strait is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul in northwestern Tu ...
from Constantinople to one of the harbors of the directly opposite suburbs, which still belonged to the capital. The Harbor of Eutropius was the least important of the four, behind the Chalcedon, Chrysopolis, and
Hieria Hieria (in Greek variously ), also known as Heraeum or Heraion (Ἡραῖον), modern Fenerbahçe, was a town of ancient Bithynia and a suburb of Byzantine-era Constantinople (modern Istanbul, Turkey). It is prominent in the city's history as ...
harbors. The Harbor of Eutropius was almost entirely artificial, built by order of Emperor
Justinian Justinian I (; la, Iustinianus, ; grc-gre, Ἰουστινιανός ; 48214 November 565), also known as Justinian the Great, was the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565. His reign is marked by the ambitious but only partly realized ''renovat ...
() out of large
mole Mole (or Molé) may refer to: Animals * Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America * Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpida ...
s of black stone, in a similar manner as the Harbor of Hieria. It was located on a mostly straight coastline, with a mild west-facing
embayment A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...
. It was placed between the harbors of Chalcedon and Hieria, it was only from Hieria, and near the Church of St John Chrysostom, which was destroyed in the early 20th century. It was not named after the
eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...
Eutropius, or a later Eutropius, but was named for the district in which it was located; however, some sources incorrectly report that it was built under either Emperors
Zeno Zeno ( grc, Ζήνων) may refer to: People * Zeno (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Philosophers * Zeno of Elea (), philosopher, follower of Parmenides, known for his paradoxes * Zeno of Citium (333 – 264 BC), ...
() and
Anastasius I Dicorus Anastasius I Dicorus ( grc-gre, Ἀναστάσιος, Anastásios; – 9 July 518) was List of Byzantine emperors, Eastern Roman emperor from 491 to 518. A career civil servant, he came to the throne at the age of 61 after being chosen by t ...
(), or
Constantine the Great Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...
(). It was likely the smallest of the harbors opposite Constantinople, and its exact usage is unknown. The Byzantinist Klaus Belke has suggested it was a tertiary harbor for Chalcedon or may have primarily served to supply the imperial summer palace at Hieria. In 602, the military officer
Phocas Phocas ( la, Focas; grc-gre, Φωκάς, Phōkás; 5475 October 610) was Eastern Roman emperor from 602 to 610. Initially, a middle-ranking officer in the Eastern Roman army, Phocas rose to prominence as a spokesman for dissatisfied soldiers ...
() overthrew
Maurice Maurice may refer to: People * Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr * Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor *Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and ...
(, and had him and his sons executed at the Harbor of Eutropius; Phocas would later execute the female members of Maurice's family at the harbor in either 605 or 607. During the
Siege of Constantinople The following is a list of sieges of Constantinople, a historic city located in an area which is today part of Istanbul, Turkey. The city was built on the land that links Europe to Asia through Bosporus and connects the Sea of Marmara and the Bl ...
in 717–718, the
Umayyad Caliphate The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by th ...
's fleet, supposedly numbering 1,800 ships, dispersed to the various harbors and landing grounds near Constantinople, choosing the harbor of Eutropius and the Harbor of Anthemius for the Asian portion of the invasion; however, neither harbors are referred to by name in the sources, and only the locations associated with them are given. The 10th-century Saint Luke the Stylite lived as a
stylite A stylite ( grc, στυλίτης () 'pillar dweller', derived from () 'pillar' and syc, ܐܣܛܘܢܐ ()) or pillar-saint is a type of Christian ascetic who lives on pillars, preaching, fasting and praying. Stylites believe that the mortifi ...
(on top of a column) near the harbor, from 935 until his death in 975. He was succeeded by the anonymous author of the '' Vita of the Stylite'', who immediately sailed from Constantinople to the harbor and took up the same column as a dwelling place; he would remain there until 989, when the column was torn away into the ocean, likely by a storm surge, causing him to drown. The 16th-century French topographer
Petrus Gyllius Petrus Gyllius or Gillius (or Pierre Gilles) (1490–1555) was a French natural scientist, topographer and translator. Gilles was born in Albi, southern France. A great traveller, he studied the Mediterranean and Orient, producing such works as ...
evidently did not succeed in locating the ruins of the harbor of Eutropius, as he misplaces it on the west bank of the bay, either between the Moda Burnu and the mouth of the Chalcedon River, which was in truth the Harbor of Eirene, or where the Harbor of Chalcedon was. Due to the recent growth of the maritime districts of Kalamış and Fenerbahçe, nothing remains of the Harbor of Eutropius.


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Bibliography

* * *{{Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire, volume=3 Harbours of Constantinople Kadıköy Buildings of Justinian I