History of Çanakkale

The city which hosted many civilizations; had been inhabitad by the natives who had lived on Biga Peninsula in the Last Calcolithic Age believed to have started 6000 years ago. However, those natives are unknown.According to some excavations and researchs, the earliest settlements in the region were set up at Kumtepe. It is supposed that Kumkale was set up in 4000 B.C and Troy was set up between 3500 – 3000 B.C. The real history of Çanakkale started with Troy. It was the brightest cultural center of its time during 3000 – 2000 B.C.
Later the Aiolions had settled on that important land in the 8 th century B.C. they founded many trade colonies in the region called Eolia. The region went under the control of the Lydians in the 7th century B.C and under the control of the Persians in the 6 th century B.C. Eolia went under the control of the Macedonians as Alexander the Great have defeated the Persians by the Kocabaş River of the region in the Granicos War on his way to Asia. The region went under the reing of the Pergamon kingdom in the 2nd century B.C.
The western part of the Biga Peninsula where Troy was stiuated was called as Troas. Alexandreas Troas that was one of the important settlements of the region, was a free trade port and a rich trade center, in the Roman area.
Later in the 2nd cenury A.D., the region beared the attacks of Goths coming from Thrace. The Strait gained more strategic importance. The Gallipoli Peninsula beared the Thins attacks in 5th century and the Uighurs’ attacks in the mid-6th century. During the 7th and 8th centuries, in order to attack Coustantinopolis (İstanbul) the Arabs passed the Strait a few times and came up to Sestos. In the beginning of the 14 th century the Cathons became dominant in the Gallipoli part and Karesioğulları dominated the Anatolien part. During the first half of that ceutury Demirhan Bey from Aydınoğulları attampted to dominate the region. The Ottomans got hold of Galipoli in 1367.

source: canakkale.bel.tr