Nicomedia

Lore & Background

The city became the capital of the Roman province of Bithynia and is referenced in Pliny the Younger's letters to Trajan, which mention public buildings, an unfinished aqueduct, and a great fire. The historian Arrian was born there, and the military commander Hannibal Barca committed suicide in nearby Libyssa. The next day he issued the First Edict Against the Christians. Fires later damaged Diocletian's palace, and Galerius blamed Christians, leading to executions. The city was rebuilt on a smaller scale but remained a major military center. In the 1080s, Alexios I Komnenos used it as a base against the Seljuk Turks, and both the First and Second Crusades encamped there.

Reader's Guide

Nicomedia's significance lies in its role as a pivotal administrative and religious center during the late Roman Empire. The city's infrastructure—including aqueducts, a palace, an armory, a mint, and shipyards—reflected its imperial status. Even after Constantine moved the capital to Constantinople, Nicomedia retained importance due to its location at the convergence of roads leading to the new capital. It served as a major Byzantine military base against the Seljuk Turks and Crusader states, and its eventual conquest by the Ottomans marked a key step in the expansion of the Ottoman Empire into Asia Minor. The city's Jewish diaspora is attested by a third-century tomb inscription with Jewish symbols. Nicomedia's legacy is also preserved through its notable natives, including the historian Arrian, the emperor Diocletian, and several early Christian martyrs such as Saint George and Saint Pantaleon.

Did You Know?

• The great military commander Hannibal Barca committed suicide in nearby Libyssa.
• A third-century CE tomb inscription in Nicomedia, decorated with a menorah, shofar, and lulav and etrog, attests to a Jewish diaspora presence.