Nicaea (also spelled Nicæa or Nicea, /naɪˈsiːə/ny-SEE-ə;[9]Latin:[niːˈkae̯.a]), also known as Nikaia (Greek: Νίκαια, Attic: [nǐːkai̯a], Koine: [ˈnikεa]), was an ancient Greek city in the north-western Anatolian region of Bithynia[4][10][11] that is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and seventh Ecumenical councils in the early history of the Christian Church), the Nicene Creed (which comes from the First Council), and as the capital city of the Empire of Nicaea following the Fourth Crusade in 1204, until the recapture of Constantinople by the Byzantines in 1261. Nicaea was also the capital of the Ottomans from 1331 to 1335.
The ancient city is located within the modern Turkish city of İznik (whose modern name derives from Nicaea's), and is situated in a fertile basin at the eastern end of Lake Ascanius, bounded by ranges of hills to the north and south. It is situated with its west wall rising from the lake itself, providing both protection from siege from that direction, as well as a source of supplies which would be difficult to cut off. The lake is large enough that it could not be blockaded from the land easily, and the city was large enough to make any attempt to reach the harbour from shore-based siege weapons very difficult.
The ancient city is surrounded on all sides by 5 kilometres (3 mi) of walls about 10 metres (33 ft) high. These are in turn surrounded by a double ditch on the land portions, and also included over 100 towers in various locations. Large gates on the three landbound sides of the walls provided the only entrance to the city. Today, the walls have been pierced in many places for roads, but much of the early work survives; as a result, it is a tourist destination.
^Intagliata, Emmanuele; Barker, Simon J.; Christopher, Courault, eds. (2020). City Walls in Late Antiquity: An empire-wide perspective. Oxbow Books. p. 83. ISBN 9781789253672.
^Pascual, José; Papakonstantinou, Maria-Foteini, eds. (2013). Topography and History of Ancient Epicnemidian Locris. BRILL. p. 97. ISBN 9789004256750.
^Chamoux, François (2008). Hellenistic Civilization. John Wiley & Sons. p. 178. ISBN 9780470752050.
^ abHaverfield, Francis J. (2020). Ancient Town-Planing. BoD – Books on Demand. p. 27. ISBN 9783752307689.
^Dumper, Michael (2007). Dumper, Michael; Stanley, Bruce E. (eds.). Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. p. 194. ISBN 9781576079195.
^April, Wilfred (2018). Culture and Identity. BoD – Books on Demand. p. 26. ISBN 9781789230406.
^Coleman-Norton, Paul R. (2018). Roman State & Christian Church Volume 1: A Collection of Legal Documents to A.D. 535. Wipf and Stock Publishers. p. 126. ISBN 9781725255647.
^Cite error: The named reference Britannica was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Nicaea". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 2022-12-11.
^D'Agostini, Monica; Anson, Edward M.; Pownall, Frances, eds. (2020). Alexander's Veterans and the Early Wars of the Successors. Oxbow Books. ISBN 9781789254990.
^Roisman, Joseph (2012). Alexander's Veterans and the Early Wars of the Successors. University of Texas Press. p. 237. ISBN 9780292735965.
Nicaea (also spelled Nicæa or Nicea, /naɪˈsiːə/ ny-SEE-ə; Latin: [niːˈkae̯.a]), also known as Nikaia (Greek: Νίκαια, Attic: [nǐːkai̯a], Koine: [ˈnikεa])...
The First Council of Nicaea (/naɪˈsiːə/ ny-SEE-ə; Ancient Greek: Σύνοδος τῆς Νικαίας, romanized: Sýnodos tês Nikaías) was a council of Christian bishops...
The Empire of Nicaea (Greek: Βασιλεία Ῥωμαίων) or the Nicene Empire was the largest of the three Byzantine Greek rump states founded by the aristocracy...
Nicaea can refer to: First Council of Nicaea in AD 325 Second Council of Nicaea in AD 787 The Council of Nicaea (audio drama) The Council of Nicaea (painting)...
it. The original Nicene Creed was first adopted at the First Council of Nicaea in 325. In 381, it was amended at the First Council of Constantinople. The...
Nicaea (Greek: Nίκαια, c. 335 – c. 302 BC[citation needed]) was a Greek Macedonian noblewoman and was a daughter of the powerful regent Antipater. Her...
The Second Council of Nicaea is recognized as the last of the first seven ecumenical councils by the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. In...
The siege of Nicaea was the first major battle of the First Crusade, taking place from 14 May to 19 June 1097. The city was under the control of the Seljuk...
there was a time when the Son was not." The ecumenical First Council of Nicaea of 325, convened by Emperor Constantine to ensure church unity, declared...
first seven ecumenical councils include the following: the First Council of Nicaea in 325, the First Council of Constantinople in 381, the Council of Ephesus...
Boukephala (Ancient Greek: Βουκεφάλα) and Nikaia (Νίκαια) were two cities founded by Alexander the Great on either side of the Hydaspes (modern-day Jhelum...
Sporus of Nicaea (Greek: Σπόρος; c. 240 – c. 300) was a Greek mathematician and astronomer, probably from Nicaea, ancient district Bithynia (modern-day...
Theognis of Nicaea (Greek: Θέογνις) was a 4th-century Bishop of Nicaea, excommunicated after the First Council of Nicaea for not denouncing Arius and his...
disputes after Nicaea. These disagreements divided the Church into various factions for over 55 years, from the time of the First Council of Nicaea in 325 until...
the Laskaris family (connected to the Angelos dynasty of 1185–1204) in Nicaea and the Komnenos family (which had ruled as Byzantine Emperors 1081–1185)...
First Council of Nicaea in AD 325 and amended at the First Council of Constantinople in AD 381. At the time of the First Council of Nicaea, the main rival...
Roman Empire by the Edict of Milan (313), later convening the Council of Nicaea (325) where Early Christianity was consolidated into what would become the...
legitimate successor of the Byzantine Empire, along with the Empire of Nicaea and the Empire of Trebizond, its rulers briefly proclaiming themselves as...
Parthenius of Nicaea (Greek: Παρθένιος ὁ Νικαεύς) or Myrlea (Greek: ὁ Μυρλεανός) in Bithynia was a Greek grammarian and poet. According to the Suda, he...
Battle of Nicaea was fought in 193 between the forces of Septimius Severus and his eastern rival, Pescennius Niger. It took place at Nicaea in Asia Minor...
romanized: Theodōros Komnēnos Laskaris; c. 1175 – November 1221) was the first emperor of Nicaea—a successor state of the Byzantine Empire—from 1205 to his death. Although...
Roman world, through his convocation of the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea. He is said to have received baptism on his deathbed. He also reformed coinage...
granted the dignity of becoming "Son of God". In 325, the First Council of Nicaea adopted the Nicene Creed which described Christ as "God of God, Light of...
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