Editing Nicaea (section)

===Early history===
[[File:Istanbul_Gate,_Iznik,_Turkey_(37659560615).jpg|thumb|250px|The Constantinople Gate]]
[[File:Lefke Kapisi Iznik 932a.jpg|thumb|250px|The Lefke Gate, part of Nicaea's city walls]]

The place is said to have been colonized by [[Bottiaeans]], and to have originally borne the name of '''Ancore''' (Ἀγκόρη) or '''Helicore''' (Ἑλικόρη), or by soldiers of [[Alexander the Great]]'s army who hailed from [[Nicaea (Locris)|Nicaea]] in [[Locris]], near [[Thermopylae]]. The later version, however, was not widespread, even in Antiquity.{{sfn|Stefanidou|2003|loc=[http://asiaminor.ehw.gr/forms/fLemmaBodyExtended.aspx?lemmaid=8503&boithimata_State=&kefalaia_State=#chapter_2 2. Foundation, other names]}} Whatever the truth, the first Greek colony on the site was probably destroyed by the [[Mysians]], and it fell to [[Antigonus I Monophthalmus]], one of Alexander's successors (''[[Diadochi]]'') to refound the city {{circa|315 BC}} as '''Antigoneia''' (Ἀντιγονεία) after himself.<ref name="Britannica">{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Nicaea |volume=19 |page=640}}</ref> Antigonus is also known to have established Bottiaean soldiers in the vicinity, lending credence to the tradition about the city's founding by Bottiaeans. Following Antigonus' defeat and death at the [[Battle of Ipsus]] in 301 BC, the city was captured by [[Lysimachus]], who renamed it '''Nicaea''' ({{lang|grc|[[wikt:Νίκαια|Νίκαια]]}}, also [[Transliteration|transliterated]] as '''Nikaia''' or '''Nicæa'''; see also [[List of traditional Greek place names]]), in tribute to his wife [[Nicaea of Macedon|Nicaea]], who had recently died.{{sfn|Stefanidou|2003|loc=[http://asiaminor.ehw.gr/forms/fLemmaBodyExtended.aspx?lemmaid=8503&boithimata_State=&kefalaia_State=#chapter_2 2. Foundation, other names]}}

Sometime before 280 BC, the city came under the control of the [[List of rulers of Bithynia|local dynasty]] of the kings of [[Bithynia]]. This marks the beginning of its rise to prominence as a seat of the royal court, as well as of its rivalry with [[Nicomedia]]. The two cities' dispute over which one was the pre-eminent city (signified by the appellation ''[[metropolis]]'') of Bithynia continued for centuries, and the 38th oration of [[Dio Chrysostom]] was expressly composed to settle the dispute.{{sfn|Stefanidou|2003|loc=[http://asiaminor.ehw.gr/forms/fLemmaBodyExtended.aspx?lemmaid=8503&boithimata_State=&kefalaia_State=#chapter_3 3. History]}}<ref name="DGRG">''DGRG'', [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0064%3Aentry%3Dnicaea-geo Nicaea]</ref>

[[Plutarch]] mentioned that Menecrates (Μενεκράτης) wrote about the history of the city.<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0007.tlg001.perseus-grc1:26 Plutarch, Life of Theseus, 26]</ref> In [[Greek mythology]], Nicaea supposedly took its name from [[Nicaea (mythology)|Nicaea]], a nymph whom the god [[Dionysus]] got drunk and raped; he later named the city after her.<ref>[[Nonnus]], ''[[Dionysiaca]]'' [https://archive.org/details/dionysiaca02nonnuoft/page/20/mode/2up?view=theater 16.244–280]; [[Memnon of Heraclea]], ''History of Heraclea'' book 15, as epitomized by [[Photius I of Constantinople|Photius of Constantinople]] in his ''[[Bibliotheca (Photius)|Myriobiblon]]'' [https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/photius_copyright/photius_06bibliotheca.htm 223.28]</ref>