Finding Sites from Classical Antiquity?
 

One of the things I like to do during my moto travels is visit places that I find historically interesting, particularly sites from ancient history. Since I'm particularly interested in military history, these sites are often battlefields. A few years ago I tracked down the location (well, to the extent possible) of several ancient battlefields, including Trasimene, Cannae, Thermopylae (ok, this one's easy!), Chaeronea, Cynoscephalae, Pharsalus, etc.

Anyway, next year I plan to go to eastern Turkey, and one of the things on my list is to visit the spot from which Xenophon and his men spotted the sea during the Anabasis. The problem is that I can't find the site...while I know it is somewhere south of Trabzon, so far I have not been able to find the specific spot, to the extent that it is even known. From what I've read, I think that academics have a pretty good idea about where this spot might have been, but I can't really figure out where they're talking about on a map.

Anybody know of a website or forum where people talk about specific locations of ancient sites? Not even sure what kind of forum that would be, LOL. I'm a bit reluctant to just reach out to a random local tour guide because I've found that too often tour guides seem ready to just make up whatever they don't know.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Interesting plan, I really enjoyed the Black Sea coast, though I did not explore it in great detail. The scenery around Trabzon is very striking, but the nicest, and quietest part of the coastline in my opinion was further west, between Amasra and Sinop.

Judging by the first page of this paper, if you could find a library or other institution with a subscription to the journal and read the whole thing, you might get a good description of the point.

Wikipedia seems to think it's Mount Madur in the Pontic Alps.

Interested to see what you find.

EO

Yes, I've read Mitford's article, but can't really find the spot that he is referring to. Or I might have found it, but don't see any evidence on Google Earth of the type of terrain and cairn that he mentions. Perhaps it is on a slope of the mountain that I've so far overlooked.

I've also looked at mount madur, but it seems like an odd place; it seems like it would be in a pass rather than a mountain top...

At the end of the day there were then, and are now, only a few routes through these mountains and it seems odd that there could be more than a few spots where Xenophon could realistically have spotted the sea.

I would not have known who Xenophon was had I not recently listened to this excellent series of podcasts which may or may not help you but are certainly worth a listen.

Link to video gives an error...what is it?

Xenophon's Anabasis has always been one of my favorite historical accounts...

Interesting video, thanks.

Thanks for that link. I am really enjoying the series on my commute to work - I am not sure that the same can be said of my passengers though!

Not a bus driver are you? :rofl::rofl::rofl:

Nope, my son is my normal passenger and he was, initially at least, pleased that I had found another podcast to break up the Adventure Rider Radio routine. He is less than impressed but that is because he is but a stripling. When I have ARR or Raw on his eyes roll but that is a better reaction than when I play my music. I should point out that he has recently invested in a pair of Bluetooth ear pods, though I’m not sure why.

The podcast is making some detours to my original rough plan more likely.

At least you still seem to have some vestige of control over what gets played in the car. We seemed to go straight from 'The wheels on the bus go round and round / Nellie the Elephant packed her trunk' etc to grunge rock (Nirvana etc) which our son discovered followed shortly by our daughter's choice of whatever feminist anthem music she could find. My wife bought an audiobook (The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt) for us to listen to on long trips. We had so little control over the in car entertainment it took us over five years to finish it. I was quite pleased when they got their own driving licences. :rofl:

I am fortunate that they have decided to buy headphones so that they don’t have to put up with whatever dirge I am listening to this week. They are particularly unimpressed that I am currently listening to what they call “Emo Music” (Evanescence, Within Temptation etc) and they keep asking if I am going to dye my hair black - what little I have left is white and is generally waving goodbye, never to return.

Five years for an audio book - it is quite impressive that you remembered the plot at all.