Expert: Maria - 4/3/2006

Question
Hello, Maria.

As an originally Greek City, "Byzantium" certainly would not have had that Latin spelling.

Would I be correct in assuming it would have been "Buzantios":   Beta-upsilon-zeta-alpha-nu-tau-iota-omicron-sigma? (or omega-sigma?)

(I am unsure of suffix in particular.)

I was wondering if you know.

Regards,
Dan O'Hanlon  

Answer
Hello Danny,

The original Greek  name of the city founded by the Greeks in  the early 500's BC at the entrance to the Bosporus and Black Sea,  was  " Buzantion " [Beta-upsilon-zeta-alpha with the acute accent-nu-tau-iota-omicron-nu], not “Buzantios”. It was in fact a neuter name and then its ending was “–on “ [“Byzantium”, neuter,  in the Latinised form ].

Best regards,
Maria