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in: COLLOQUIUM MYSIUM I MYSIA VE ÇEVRE KÜLTÜRLERİ, Serap ALPER - Hüseyin Murat ÖZGEN, Editor, Balıkesir Büyükşehir Belediyesi, İstanbul, pp.241-258, 2026
Cius, located in the Gemlik district of Bursa, has continued its existence uninterruptedly
until today; to Prusia ad Mare in the Hellenistic Period, to Cius again in the Roman
lmperial Period, Ghio in the Middle Ages, and finally to Gemlik. Cius, which is rumored
to have been colonized by the Carians before the 7th century BC., was re-established as
the emporium of Miletus towards the end of the 3rd quarter of the 7th century. Hieronymus
gives an exact date for the foundation of Cius as the 3rd year of the 38th Olympics,
that is 626/5 BC.
Cius is also the trade center of Republican Turkey after Mysia, Persia, Bithynia, Roman,
Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman reign. Cius, which was once the port city of Nikaia,
has never lost its feature and importance in maritime trade as the port city of Bursa
today.
The name Cius was changed to "Prusias ad Mare", meaning "Prusias by the Sea' ', for a
while in the Hellenistic Age, but the name Cius was reverted to with Roman rule in the
ıst century AD.
The first place where Cius was established must have been the coastal area known
today as the First Kordon (Old Coast). it is possible to determine the boundaries of the
area where Cius was first established according to the stream beds descending steeply
from the east and west towards the sea. it has been observed that the water resources are
very important in the establishment of ancient cities.
Although the riverbeds may change over time, we think that the eastern border of the
ancient Cius is determined by the stream bed that has dried up due to its reclamation
today, while the western border of Karsak or Sazlı Brook is determined.
We do not have any information about the ancient port because the coastal section
was filled in and a road was built. However, the plan in the arrangement of houses along
the rising slope starting from the Fish Market shows the "Hippodmoas Plan / Grid Plan"
feature. The urban planning specific to this part of Gemlik can be considered as a reflection
of the urban texture of the Ancient Age. Cius is like the main city Miletos in terms
of its geography. For this reason, the hypothesis that Cius may have been similar to the
main city Miletus in terms of city plan, even if not when it was first founded, will constitute
the main theme of this paper.