The Lehi sun. [volume] (Lehi, Utah) 1913-1949, 1921-09-22


CPrsparea by the National Geographic So
ciety. Washington. ID. CT
An international commission official
" rules the destlnies Of 1.-The Zone
of the Straits" Only since the World
war has It been q zone" For cen
turtles II was the heart OF Turkey-the
Dardanelles, Marmora. the BOsphorus.
Over II sat not a commission. but sui
tans and calIphs. jealous OF the dem
onstrated power Of political Islam.
And ages earlier Byzantine Greeks.
and before them their Ionian and
Peloponnesian cousins ruled those
same straits. The new cOmmiss on
does not find Its rule unquestloned.
Descendants OF Turk and Greek
Turkish rebels, In open revolt against
the commission, and modern Greeks,
entirely willing to rule In Its stead
over the important waterways Of their
fathers-are fighting II out In the Near
East and the Black sea and It's gates
are again field OF world events, while
Russians, Roumanlans and Bulgarians,
and the great powers OF the West look
on, all to be affected whatever the
outcome.
This Is historic ground and water.
from the mouth Of the DardaLelles at
the tip Of the Gallipoll peninsula. to
the point nearly 200 niles to the north
eastward where the narrower BosphOr-
us sucks q mighty stream OF water
from the Black sea. Greek mythology
and legend first made them Its theater.
The legionnalres Of the Trojan war,
Phryxus and Helle, and Jason and his
fellow goldseekers sailed over their
waters and around their headlands
and later Greeks, Romans and Genoese
built great cities on their shores and
established over their waters the
world-Important trade routes Of their
days.
Center Of the Old World.
II Is against the current that flows
from the north that civilization as we
have known II has worked Its way.
The first adventure was to enter the
Dardanelles or the Hellespont, as the
Greeks called II. This Is the longer
Of the two great saltwater rivers that
separate Europe from Asia Minor. II
winds its way. with two sharp turns
and numerous gentler curves, for 10
miles before Its expands into the Sea
Of Marmora, the Grecian Propontis
The strait varies In width from lit
tie over three-fourths OF a mile to Ave
miles. On the European side rises the
steep ridge OF Galllpoll where the III
fated expedition OF Australians and
New Zealanders suffered so keenly In
the World war. On the Asiatie side
Of the Dardanelles lies the plain Of
old Troy and the foot hills Of Mount
Ida.
The Sea Of MarmOra from which the
HellespOnt leads 10 about 14O miles
In length and 40 miles wide at its
greatest width, and 10 thus somewhat
smaller than Lake Ontario. the small.
est Of our Great Lakes. But though
relatively small, II has In its time been
the center OF the world. Probably
about no other lake OF sea in the world
Of such size have 40 many ImpOrtan,
cities stood. OF these, ConstantlnOple
alone retains Importance today: but
living and dead cities cover the shores
Of practically every harbOr and head.
land of the little sea. The settlements
that stu exist are not even the heirs
OF the great cities Of yesterday, but
rather ill-kempt interlopers-sQuatte tier
that under Turkish domain occupied
their sites.
colonized BY the Greeks.
COlonists from the Greek cities ant
Islands pushed up through the Helles
pont and settled on the Propontlns
shores at the dawn Of European his
tory. ByZnntium, on the site OF pres
eni-day ConsiantinOple, was a membe
Of the Second Athenian league; an,
the Dardaneiles, already a Grecla,
strait, was the scene Of the battl,
which closed the Peloponneslan wars
The Marmora really came into ia
own In the period following the dealt
OF Alexander when the kingdom O
Blthynia hourished on It's shores, an
Pontus and Pergamos grew TO pros
Derity on either side. Cyzlcus on IN
peninsula Of that name on the south
ern shore of MarmOra was the chic
city. II was founded earlier tina
Rome or Byzantium. II had a ion
life, possessed at various times b
Athens. Sparta, Persia, Macedon, Pei
gamOs and Rome. II was rated on
Of the splendid ancient cities. and II
gold coins were the standard OF ,hel
day as FlOrenee's nSrins became I
3enalsSance dimes.
] Hut when ByEsnrum In i,s IncOa