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Ancient and Medieval Chronology

Geographical localization of ancient events

Considerable difficulties accompany the attempts of geographical localization of many of the ancient events and cities. For example, Naples (which means simply "new town") figured in many ancient chronicles in several images, and in essentially different geographical regions, namely, Naples in Italy, Carthage (which also means "new city") [51], Naples in Palestine [52], Scythian Naples, and others. One of the localizations of the famous city of Troy is near theHellespont (for which, though, there are also several quite different geographical localizations). It is for this particular reason that Schliemann ascribed the name of Troy to the city he excavated near the Hellespont. According to traditional chronology, Troy was completely destroyed in the 12-13th century B.C. But, in the Middle Ages, Italian Troy, which still exists today [53], enjoyed widespread fame. This is the celebrated medieval city which played an important role in many medieval wars; especially, in the well-known war of the 13th century. Many Byzantine historians also speak of Homer's Troy as of an existing medieval city, namely, Choniates Nicetas [54] and Gregoras Nicephoras [55].

Livy indicates the spot named Troy and the Trojan region in Italy ([56]). Certain medieval historians identified Troy with Jerusalem ([57]), which embarrasses the modern commentators:
"The book of Homer somewhat suddenly turned (in the medieval text, while describing Alexander's expedition to Troy-A.F.) ... into the book on the destruction of Jerusalem" ([57).

Anna Comnena, speaking of Ithaca (homeland of Homer's Odyssey), declares that a large city called Jerusalem has been built on the island of Ithaca ([58], Vol. 2). The second name of Troy is Ilion, whereas the second name of Jerusalem is Aelia Capitolina ([I]). Thus, in the names of these cities, there is a similarity: Aelia-Ilion. Eusebius Pamphili told that two small Phrygian towns with totally different names were called Jerusalem ([I])! It is traditionally assumed that Great Greece always was on the Balkan Peninsula; however, in the Middle Ages, the south of Italy populated by Greek colonies was also called Great Greece [27]. It is also believed that the town of Babel was situated in modern Mesopotamia. Certain ancient texts are of a different opinion. For example, the medieval Serbian text of the Romance of Alexander the Great places Babel in Egypt; moreover, according to this text, Alexander the Great died in Egypt, whereas he is believed to have deceased in Mesopotamia according to the traditional version ([57]). Furthermore, Babel is the Greek name of a city located opposite the pyramids. During the Middle Ages, Cairo was sometimes called by this name. Nowadays, it is a suburb of Cairo [59]. The term "babel" has a meaningful translation (as have the names of many other cities); hence, it has been applied to different towns by different chroniclers. That Rome was called Babel in the Middle Ages was reported by Eusebius [27]. Moreover, by Babel, the Byzantine historians (in the Middle Ages!) more often than not meant Baghdad [60]. The medieval Byzantine author of the llth century, Michael Psellus, speaks of Babel as of an existing and not at all destroyed city [60]. In many documents, there is a confusion between two Romes, namely, Rome in Italy and New Rome (i.e., Constantinople on the Bosphorus). Both Romes are the capitals of the two famous empires, the Western and Eastern ones. The citizens of New Rome stubbornly called themselves "Romans". A large percentage of Byzantine coins were supplied with Latin, and not Greek, inscriptions. The capital of the new empire was transferred both from Rome to New Rome (by Constantine I, ca. A.D. 330) and, vice versa, from New Rome to Rome (attempt to transfer it in A.D. 663 by Constantine III) . It is possible that the identification of Constantinople with Troy and the famous "Trojan war" is a partial reflection of the battle in A.D. 1204 between the crusaders and the Byzantine Empire (the fall of Constantinople in A.D. 1204).

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