to the south-west, Byzantine land bordered that of Selymbria.^109 Most
of the ancient sources that provide specific details belong to the city’s
post-classical history. There are sufficient pointers, nevertheless, in pre-
Hellenistic sources to indicate just how significant the city had become
by the time it was besieged (unsuccessfully) by Philip II of Macedon.^110
Xenophon’s sojourn in the hinterland of Byzantion provides only inci-
dental details that fail to emphasize the city’s real territorial capacity.
Moreover, its reach extended not just inland, but (periodically, atfirst)
across into Asia. The city took possession of Kalchedon in the middle of
the fourth century (Dem. 15.26).
In thefifth century, the city’s fortunes were variable. The Hellespon-
tine region was perceived as a major asset by the Persians, who hoped,
perhaps, to hang on to it after their retreat from most of the European
mainland (Hdt. 9.101), but were in the end forced out, step by step, at the
hands of the Delian League. In the middle of thefifth centurybcthe city
had liquidity problems and created a range of new sources of revenue by
leasing sacred land and land belonging to private associations, selling off
shop spaces, orfishing and salt-collecting rights, as well as offering
citizenship for 30 minas to those with one citizen parent ([Ar.]Oec.
II.3c, 1346b).^111 In thePolitics(1291b 21), Aristotle talks about the high
proportion offishermen amongst the population of the city, a factor that,
in the philosopher’s view, affected the political climate of Byzantion,
much as the rowers of the Athenianfleet affected that city’s politics.
Theopompos, on the other hand, talked about the propensity of the
inhabitants of such a majoremporionto gravitate in the direction of
the market place and the harbour, lingering in the wine shops.^112
The propensity of Byzantines to focus their energies on activities in
and around the harbour reflects the importance of the Golden Horn as a
centre of transhipment as well as regional exchange and, at the same
time, the capacity of any authority located there to exploit the unique
opportunity to extract revenues from those passing through the channel
between the Bosporus and the Hellespontine Straits. Nothing illustrates
this more vividly than the capture of the Athenian grainfleet in 340bc
by Philip II of Macedon, whilst he was besieging the city of Byzantion.
This consisted of 180 ships, the dominant part of a convoy of 320
vessels, evidently transporting various other goods—incidentally a useful
(^109) Inventory, no. 679.
(^110) Diod. 16.76.3–4; 77.2; Justin 9.1.2–4; Dem. 8.14, 18.88–92; 244; Plut.Phoc. 14.3–7;
Gabrielsen 2007, 295. 111
Isaac 1986, 233–4; Nixon and Price 1990, 153–4; Robinson 2011, 146–9.
(^112) Theop.FGrH115 F62 = Athen. 12.32, p. 526 D–F.
Regionalism and regional economies 239