The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-10-09
"cu,,throa, Castle" Suit by mohammed II.

"Cut-throat Castle" 81
prepared ~ the National Geographic so
ciety Washington y O.
An international commission official
ly rules The destinles OF the Zone
Of the Straits" Only since the World
war has II been zone" For cen
turies It was the heart of Turkey--the
Dardanelles, MarmoH. The B0splorus.
Over II sat not commission, but sui
tans and caliphs, jealous Of the dem
onstrated power Of political Islam.
And ages earlier Byzantine Greeks,
and before them their Ionlan and
PelOponnesan cousins ruled those
same straits. The new conlnlss on
does not find its rule unquestIoned.
Descendants OF Turk ana Creek
Turkish rebels, In open revolt against
the commission, and modern Greeks,
entirely willing to rule Ia its stead
over the important waterways of their
fathers-are fighting il out In the Near
East; and the Black sea and It's gates
are again field Of world events, while
Russians, Roumanians and Bulgariaus.
and the great powers of the West ,ook
on, all TO be affected whatever the
outcome.
This is historic ground and water,
from the mouth OF the Dardarelies AZ
The tip of the Gallipoll peninsula, to
the point nearly 200 niles TO the north
eastward where the narrower Bosphor-
MS sucks a mighty streanT 0f water
from the Black sea. Greek mythology
and legend first made .heiE It's theater.
The leg.pnnares ~ the Trojan war.
PhryNus ana Helle and iasur and his
fellow goldseckers sailed over the'r
waters ana around their headalds; (;
ana later Greeks. Romans and Cr"orse
built great cities on their shor, aad |
established over ,beir waters tie |
world-mportant trade routes OF their
days.
Center Of the Old World.
1t Is against the current that flows |
from the north that civilization us We
have known il Las worked lis way. |
The first adventure was TO enter the
DardaGeiies or Tie H"llcspont. as the
Greeks called IT. This IS the longer
Of The two great saltwater rivers .lat
separate Eu:ope from Asia Minor. II
winds It's way. With two sharp turns
and numerous gentlcr curves. for 10
miles before its expands into the S9a
Of Marn ora, he Grecian Propont.s
The strait vures In wid.l. from IT.
lie over three-four,hs OF mile to five
niles. on tie European side rises the
steep ridge Of Gall,poli where the NJ
fatcd expedition OF Australians and
NrN XealGndeIs suffered 81 keenly IN
the World war. on the As.ntlc side
OF the Dardaueles lies The ualn IT
old Troy and TIE foot hills Of Mount
Ida
The Sea OF Marmora from which tie
Hellespont leads is about $50 niles
In length and ~ miles wide ai lis
greatest width, and j. thus somewhat
smaller thuu Lake ontario. lne small.
est Of our Great Lakes. Bu, though
relatively snail. 1t has H. Us time been
the center ot the world Probably
about 10 other lake or sea In the world
OF such size have so many important
cities stood Of these. Cons,antnope
alone retains importance to-day; but
living and dead cities cover he shores
OF practically every hurbor unl hend.
land Of the little sea. The settlements
that stlll exist are not even the heirs
Of The great cities " yesterday. but
rather Ill.kemp; inieriopers ,quAitcrS
that under Turkish domalg occupied
their sites
colonissd by the eresks.
Colonlsts from The Greek ellie, and
Islands pushed up lhruugh tlr llcllcs.
pont and set!cd on the lropuntlre
shores %, The dawn Of European his.
tory Byzantlum, on The site of pres.
eni-day Cons'autnop!e. was a member
Of The Second Athenlan league: nnd
the Durdanellcs, already Grcclan
stnt. was the scene NJ the hntilc
which closed The reioponneslan wars.
Tie Nlarmorn really came into It's
own In the period following the death
VI Alexander when the kingdom ~
Blthynla huurlshed ON It's shores. aud
pouus and pergamos grew TO pros.
perity on either side Cyzicus on the
peninsula OF that name on the south.
nrn shore NJ Mannorn was the chief
rity. II was founded earlier than
Rome or Byzantum. II lad long
lie. possessed ut various times by
Athens, Sparta. Persia. Macedon. Per.
,emos and Rome. Il WAS rated one
u the splendid ancient cities. and It's
,old coius were the standard OF their
lay as Florence's florius became ia
Renaissance times.
But when Byzantlum. In i,s incom
,arable position by the Bosphorus.