Byzas - Definition and Overview

Legend has it that Byzas, a Greek colonist (reported by some to be a leader or even a king) from the Doric colony of Megara in Ancient Greece, consulted the oracle of Apollo at Delphi. The oracle instructed Byzas to settle opposite from the "Land of the Blind". Leading a group of Megarian colonists, Byzas found a superb location opposite Chalcedon on the mouth of the Bosphorus Strait. He determined the Chalcedonians must have been blind not to recognize the advantages the land on the European side of the Bosphorus had over the Asiatic side. Byzas founded Byzantium on the European side in 667 BC, thus completing the oracle's quest.

References

• Istanbul Historical Information - Istanbul Informative Guide To The City (http://www.istanbulinfolink.com/the_city/istanbul/history_1.htm). Retrieved Jan. 6, 2005.
• The Useful Information about Istanbul (http://www.guideistanbul.net/tablo1a.htm). Retrieved Jan. 6, 2005.

In Greek mythology, Byzas was a son of Poseidon.