Byzantium and Constantinople: The History of the Ancient Greek City that Became the Byzantine Empire's Capital

Due to the importance of the Roman Empire and the offshoot Byzantine Empire, it's often forgotten that Constantinople wasn't chosen at random; in fact, the city already existed, and it lent its name to the empire that was subsequently centered there. Byzantium, known originally as Byzantion, was an ancient Greek city centuries before it became known as Constantinople, and the etymology of Byzantion/Byzantium is still unknown. It has been suggested that Byzantion is of Thracian origin and ma...