Sestos: Its history and coinage

Hellespontos, as it is today, has been an important transit zone between Asia and Europe. It is also the only sea route along with Bosporus between the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea. The ancient city of Sestos has been the main base for centuries to control this two-way transition with its geostrategic position on the strait. At the beginning of the colonization period, it was first settled by Lesbians and about a hundred years later, as it is the case everywhere on the Thracian Chersonesos, Athenian control has begun. Due to its role in supply of grain in particular, Sestos became vital for Athens. For this reason, Athens did not hesitate to mobilize all its resources to not lose to the city or to recover it. Later on, the city has begun to lose its former significance during Roman reign. Understanding the city's place in the Ancient world will make it easier to better understand the history of the region. However, the works on the ancient city of Sestos in the direction of this purpose is not very numerous. Moreover, the existing ones are narrow-scoped studies. There is no visible remains in Eceabat Akbas Mevkii, where the city is thought to be localized and no scientific excavations have been done yet. These limitations further heightened the importance of bringing together previously unassociated data on the city. For these reasons, a complete catalog of coins has been created for the first time. Thus, by collectively evaluating the data retrieved from coins along with the inscriptions, the ancient sources and the previous researches, new information is obtained and a comprehensive history of Sestos is written.