Munsey's Magazine, August 1915

This Munsey's Magazine article examines the historical foundations and strategic location of Constantinople within the context of Ottoman Turkish expansion into southeastern Europe. The piece traces Greek colonization in the eastern Mediterranean from approximately 750 B.C., particularly emphasizing Megara's founding of Byzantium at the Bosporus entrance. It documents Rome's subsequent eastern expansion beginning in 200 B.C., the consolidation of Roman dominion, and Constantine's pivotal decision (circa 325-330 A.D.) to establish a new capital at Constantinople. The article details the Eastern Roman Empire's survival for over a thousand years until the Turkish conquest in 1453, attributing its longevity to Constantinople's exceptional strategic position on defensible terrain, its advantageous commercial location as an entrepôt, effective governance, and diplomatic capabilities. Extensive period photographs of Constantinople's monuments, mosques, and the Bosporus landscape accompany the historical narrative.