Neanthes of Cyzicus

Neanthes (/niˈænθiːz/; Greek: Νεάνθης) is apparently the name of two writers whose works have largely been lost. The elder Neanthes of Cyzicus was a disciple of Philiscus of Miletus ("who is reasonably certain to have died before 300 BC"), who himself had been a pupil of Isocrates. An honorary decree of 287 BC in which the people Delphi award him the proxeny (Fouilles de Delphes 1.429 = FGrHist 84 T 2) is the earliest of "only five decrees from the third century honoring historians, teachers of grammar or literature, or philosophers for their educational activities in the cities' gymnasia."

He was a voluminous writer, principally of history, but very little has reached us to form any judgement of his merits. The various authors that quote him seem, with rare exceptions, to place great reliance on his accuracy and judgement. He is frequently referred to by Diogenes Laërtius,Athenaeus, and by several of the early Christian writers, as well as by others. Among the writings of Neanthes there were:

Cyzicus

Cyzicus (/ˈsɪzᵻkəs/; Ancient Greek: Κύζικος Kyzikos; Ottoman Turkish: آیدینجق‎, Aydıncıḳ) was an ancient town of Mysia in Anatolia in the current Balıkesir Province of Turkey. It was located on the shoreward side of the present Kapıdağ Peninsula (the classical Arctonnesus), a tombolo which is said to have originally been an island in the Sea of Marmara only to be connected to the mainland in historic times either by artificial means or an earthquake.

The site of Cyzicus, located on the Erdek and Bandırma roads, is protected by Turkey's Ministry of Culture.

History

The city was said to have been founded by Pelasgians from Thessaly, according to tradition at the coming of the Argonauts; later it received many colonies from Miletus, allegedly in 756 BC, but its importance began only after the Peloponnesian War, when the decay of Athens and Miletus set in. Alcibiades defeated the Lacedaemonians there (410 BC). Eudoxus of Cnidus had a school at Cyzicus and went with his pupils to Athens, visiting Plato, and then returned to Cyzicus, where he died 355 B.C. The era of Olympiads in Cyzicus was reckoned from 135 or 139.

Cyzicus (mythology)

King Cyzicus ruled over the Dolionians, a tribe that inhabited the southern shore of the Propontis. He gave his name to a city of the same name, Cyzicus, his capital. King Cyzicus welcomed the Argonauts on their journey to Colchis; but after their departure, a storm drove them back to the Cyzicene coast at night. With neither the Argonauts nor King Cyzicus recognizing one another, each mistook the other as an enemy, and battle ensued. King Cyzicus was slain. When day broke, the Argonauts realized their tragic mistake, and granted Cyzicus an elaborate burial.

King Cyzicus left behind a young bride named Cleite, daughter of Merops of Percote. Cyzicus's parentage is given as Aeneus by Aenete (or Aenippe), daughter of Eussorus; or else Eussorus is given as his father. King Cyzicus is sometimes referred to as a Thessalian migrant (hence his hospitality to the Argonauts, many of whom hailed from Thessaly, including Jason himself). The name Aeneus recalls the Thracian city of Aenus, although Aeneus is said to be the son of Apollo and Stilbe, a daughter of the Thessalian River Peneus.

Cyzicus (genus)

Cyzicus is a genus of clam shrimp in the family Cyzicidae. Identified by Jean Victoire Audouin in 1837, the genus was reidentified as Caenestheriella by Eugen von Daday in 1910.

There are seven species in the genus:

References