Listed 8 sub titles with search on: Information about the place for wider area of: "KERASSOUS Ancient city PONTOS" .
KERASSOUS (Ancient city) PONTOS
Cerasus (Kerasous: Eth. Kerasountios). The Ten Thousand, in their
retreat, came to Trapezus, and leaving Trapezus, they arrive on the third day
at Cerasus, an Hellenic city on the sea, a colony of the Sinopeis, in Colchis.
(Xen. Anab. v. 3. 2) As there is a place called Keresoun on this coast, west of
Trebizond (Trapezus), we should be inclined to. fix Cerasus there. But it is impossible
that the army could have marched through a mountainous unknown country, in three
days, a direct distance of 70 miles; and we may conclude that the three days is
a right reading, for Diodorus (xiv. 30), who copies Xenophon here, also states
the distance at three days. Hamilton found a river called Keresoun Dere Su, which
he takes to be the river of Cerasus, though he did not see any ruins near the
river. The Anonymous geographer places Cerasus 60 stadia east of Coralla, and
90 west of Hieron Oros (Yoros), and on a river of the same name.
Keresoun or Kerasunt represents Pharnacia, a town which existed before
the time of Mithridates the Great. Arrian's statement that Pharnacia was originally
called Cerasus, and the fact of the modern name of Pharnacia resembling Cerasus,
has led some modern geographers to consider the Cerasus of Xenophon the same as
Pharnacia. It seems that the Cerasus of Xenophon decayed after the foundation
of Pharnacia, and if the inhabitants of Cerasus were removed to Pharnacia, the
new town may have had both names. Strabo indeed mentions Cotyora as a town which
supplied inhabitants to Pharnacia, but his words do not exclude the supposition
that other towns contributed. He speaks of Cerasus as a distinct place, a small
town in the same gulf as Hermonassa; and Hermonassa is near Trapezus. This is
not quite consistent with Hamilton's position of Cerasus, which is in a bay between
Coralla and Hieron Oros. Pliny also (vi. 2) distinguishes Pharnacia and Cerasus;
and he places Pharnacia 100 Roman miles from Trapezus, and it may be as much by
the road. Ptolemy also (v. 6) has both Cerasus and Pharnacia, but wrongly placed
with respect to one another, for his text makes Pharnacia east of Cerasus. Mela
(i. 19) only mentions Cerasus, and he styles Cerasus and Trapezus maxime illustres;
but this can hardly be the Cerasus of Xenophon, if the author's statement applies
to his own time. The confusion between Cerasus and Pharnacia is made more singular
by the fact of the name Keresoun being retained at Pharnacia, for which there
is no explanation except in the assumption that the town was also called Cerasus,
or a quarter of the town which some Cerasuntii occupied. Thus Sesamus was the
name of a part of Amrastris.
There is a story that L. Lucullus in his Mithridatic campaign sent
the cherry to Italy from Cerasus, and that the fruit was so called from the place.
(Amm. Marc. xxii. 8; Plin. xv. 25; and Harduin‘s note.) This was in B.C. 74; and
in 120 years, says Pliny, it was carried to Britain, or in A.D. 46.
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited August 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Pharnacia (Pharnakia: Eth. Pharnakeus), an important city on the coast of Pontus Polemoniacus, was by sea 150 stadia distant from cape Zephyrium (Arrian, Peripl. Pont. Eux. p. 17; Anonym. Peripl. P. E. p. 12), but by land 24 miles. According to Pliny (vi. 4) it was 80 (180?) miles east of Amisus, and 95 or 100 miles west of Trapezus. (Comp. Tab. Peut., where it is called Carnassus for Cerasus, this latter city being confounded with Pharnacia.) It was evidently founded by one Pharnaces, probably the grandfather of Mithridates the Great; and the latter during his wars with the Romans kept his harem at Pharnacia. Its inhabitants were taken from the neighbouring Cotyura, and the town was strongly fortified. (Strab. xi. p. 548; Plut. Lucull. 18.) The place acquired great prosperity through its commerce and navigation, and through the iron-works of the Chalybes in its vicinity. (Strab. xi. pp. 549, 551.) According to Scylax (p. 33) the site of this town had previously been occupied by a Greek colony called Choerades, of which, however, nothing is known. But that he actually conceived Choerades to have occupied the site of Pharnacia, is clear from the mention of the island of Ares (Areos nesos) in connection with it, for that island is known to have been situated off Pharnacia. (Arrian and Anonym. Peripl. l. c.) Arrian is the only one who affirms that Pharnacia occupied the site of Cerasus; and although he is copied in this instance by the anonymous geographer, yet that writer afterwards correctly places Cerasus 150 stadia further east (p. 13). The error probably arose from a confusion of the names Choerades and Cerasus; but in consequence of this error, the name of Cerasus was in the middle ages transferred to Pharnacia, which hence still bears the name of Kerasunt or Kerasonde. (Comp. Hamilton, Researches, i. pp. 250, 261, foll.; Cramer, Asial Minor, i. p. 281.) Pharnacia is also mentioned by Stephanus Byz. (s. v.), several times by Strabo (ii. p. 126, xi. p. 499, xii. pp. 547, 549, 560, xiv. p. 677), and by Ptolemy (v. 6. § 5). Respecting its coins, see Eckhel (Doctr. Num. vol. iii. p. 357). Another town of the same name in Phrygia is mentioned by Stephanus Byz. (s. v.).
This text is from: Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) (ed. William Smith, LLD). Cited August 2004 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
A flourishing colony of Sinope on the coast of Pontus, at the mouth of a river of the same name; chiefly celebrated as the place from which Europe obtained both the cherry and its name (cerasum). Lucullus is said to have brought back plants of the cherry-tree (kerasos) with him to Rome; but this refers probably only to some particular sorts, as the Romans seem to have had the tree much earlier. Cerasus fell into decay after the foundation of Pharnacia.
This text is cited Oct 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
(Pharnakia). A flourishing city of Asia Minor, on the coast of Pontus, built near or actually on the site of Cerasus, probably by Pharnaces, the grandfather of Mithridates the Great.
Total results on 21/9/2001: 14 for Cerasus, 12 for Pharnacia.
A tributary colony of Sinope, on the S coast of the Black Sea (Pontos
Euxeinos), in Colchian territory; visited by Xenophon and the Ten Thousand in
400 B.C. (Anab. 5.3.2). From here Lucullus took the cherry (kerasos) to Rome.
The city had ceased to exist by the early 2d c. A.D., and its name was transferred
to Pharnakeia.
The site lies on the W side of Yeros Burnu (Hieron Oros), presumably
at the mouth of the Kireson Deresi (Kerasous fl.), 3 km NE of Vakfikebir. No remains
are known.
D. R. Wilson, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
A natural fortress and harbor on the S coast of the Black Sea (Pontos
Euxeinos) in the former land of the Chalybes, it stood at the terminus of a route
leading over the Pontic mountains (Paryadres Mons) from Armenia Minor. It was
founded in newly conquered territory ca. 180 B.C. by Pharnakes I of Pontus, using
citizens transferred from Kotyora. It was annexed to Galatia with the remainder
of the Pontic kingdom in A.D. 64-65. The name Kerasous was used by Pharnakeia
from the early 2d c. A.D.; the original Kerasous, 110 km farther E, had by then
ceased to exist.
The city lay on a rocky promontory between two anchorages, of which
the one or the other received shelter according to the direction of the wind.
Some good lengths of the Hellenistic walls survive both on the summit and on the
steep slopes running down to the sea.
D. R. Wilson, ed.
This text is from: The Princeton encyclopedia of classical sites,
Princeton University Press 1976. Cited Nov 2002 from
Perseus Project URL below, which contains bibliography & interesting hyperlinks.
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