CYZICUS, an ancient town of Mysia, in Asia Minor, on the coast of the Propontis or Sea of Marmora, occupying the narrowest part of a peninsula which was at one time an island, and was said to have been joined to the mainland by Alexander the Great by moles and bridges. During the Peloponnesian war, Cyzicus was subject to the Athenians and Lacedaemonians alternately, as the power of either state predominated; and at the peace of Antalcidas, like the other Greek cities in Asia, it was made over to Persia. The greatness and prosperity of the town did not commence till about 74 b.c., when the Cyzicenes, under circumstances of great difficulty, repelled Mithridates from their walls, and kept the town till relieved by Lucullus. For their bravery and devotion at this time they were rewarded with peculiar honours and privileges by the Romans, and presented with a large tract of the rich land adjoining their city. Seriously injured by an earthquake in the reign of Antoninus Pius, Cyzicus from that period gradually declined. The ruins of Cyzicus, which once boasted a very large number of splendid temples and public buildings, are still to be seen among the cherry orchards and vineyards that have overgrown its site. They are known by the Turkish name of Balkiz, which is probably a corruption of ∏αλαια Kυξικoς. The principal buildings still clearly distinguishable are a Roman amphitheatre and a temple dedicated to Hadrian; but there are also remains of the city-walls and towers. Great damage has been inflicted within modern times by the spoliation of the Turks, who have carried off the ancient materials for the erection of public edifices in Constantinople. The coins of Cyzicus have been found in large numbers, and are of great interest to the numismatist for the light ...