Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey and spans the Bosphorus strait between Europe and Asia. It began as the Greek colony of Byzantium, founded by settlers from Megara, and in the fourth century the Roman emperor Constantine the Great rebuilt it as his new capital, Constantinople. For over a thousand years it was the heart of the Byzantine Empire, with landmarks such as Hagia Sophia and its great land walls. It was conquered by the Ottomans under Mehmed II and remained the Ottoman capital until the 1920s, when Ankara replaced it. The name Istanbul was officially adopted in the Turkish Republic, and the city is today one of the largest in Europe.
Before and after
- from 700 BCE to 309 BCEArgead dynasty
- from 664 BCE to 332 BCELate Period of ancient Egypt
- from 664 BCE to 525 BCETwenty-sixth Dynasty of Egypt
- c. 660 BCEImperial House of Japan (traditional date)
- c. 657 BCEFounding of Byzantium (Istanbul)
- 642 BCEBirth of Nebuchadnezzar II
- 628 BCEBirth of Zoroaster
- from 626 BCE to 539 BCENeo-Babylonian Empire
- 625 BCEBirth of Thales
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- 13th century BCEAncient Celts
- c. 1,051 BCEThe Phoenician alphabet spreads
- from c. 753 BCE to 476 CEAncient Rome
- 7th century BCEConstruction of Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- from 312 BCE to 63 BCESeleucid Empire
- from 279 BCE to 1480Construction of Lighthouse of Alexandria
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 7th century BCE.