Bithynia (English spelling)

Japanese: ビテュニア（英語表記）Bithynia

An ancient name for northwestern Asia Minor. Although it was a mountainous region, it had a good harbor on the coast and was blessed with fertile plains and pasture land, producing high-quality timber, fruit, grain, marble, etc. The inhabitants were of Thracian descent and maintained their own customs and traditions. As Greek colonies were established along the coast, wars broke out between the two. Under the rule of the Achaemenid Empire, the Bithynian Empire maintained its own autonomy, albeit imperfectly, and the Kingdom of Bithynia was established during the chaos of the Wars of the Diadochi (298 or 297 BC). From the 3rd century BC to the beginning of the 2nd century BC, it occupied and annexed the border areas and Greek colonies with neighboring countries, absorbing Hellenistic culture and becoming a powerful nation.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

小アジア北西部の古称。山岳地帯ではあったが海岸部に良港をもち，肥沃な平野，牧草地にも恵まれ，良材，果物，穀物，大理石などを産した。住民はトラキア系であり，固有の風俗習慣を守っていた。沿岸地帯にギリシア人の植民都市が建設されるにつれて両者の間には戦争が生じた。アケメネス朝ペルシアの支配下では不完全ながらも自治を保ち，ディアドコイ戦争の混乱時にビテュニア王国が成立した(前298か前297)。前3～前2世紀初めにかけて隣国との国境地帯やギリシア人植民都市を占領･併合し，ヘレニズム文化を吸収して強国となった。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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