PRUSA
PRUSA (
Προῦσα: Eth.
Προυσαεύς), generally with the addition of
ἐπὶ or
πρὸς τῷ Ὀλύμπῳ, to distinguish it from another place of the same name, was situated at the northern foot of Mount Olympus, in Mysia. Pliny (
5.43) states that the town was built by Hannibal during his stay with Prusias, which can only mean that it was built by Prusias, whose name it bears, on the advice of Hannibal.
According to the common text of Strabo (
xii. p.564), it was founded by one Prusias, who waged war against Croesus, for whom Stephanus B. (s. v.) substitutes Cyrus.
As no such Prusias is known in the age of Croesus or Cyrus, various conjectures have been made upon the passage of Strabo, but without success.
At all events, it is acknowledged by Dion Chrysostomus (
Orat. xliii. p. 585), who was a native of the town, that it was neither very ancient nor very large.
It was, however, as Strabo remarks well governed, continued to flourish under the Roman emperors (
Plin. Ep. 10.85), and was celebrated for its warm baths, which still exist, and bore the name of the “royal waters.” (
Athen. 2.43;
Steph. B. sub voce Θέρμα.) Under the Greek emperors it suffered much during the wars against the Turks (Nicet. Chon. pp. 186, 389); when at last it fell into their hands, it was for a time the capital of their empire under the name of
Brusa or
Broussa, which it still bears, for it still is one of the most flourishing towns in Asia Minor. (Browne's
Travels in Walpole's
Turkey, vol. ii. p. 108; Sestini,
Mon. Vet. p. 70; Hamilton,
Researches, i. p. 71, &c.)
Ptolemy (
5.1.13) and Pliny (
5.43) mention a town of the same name on the river Hyppius or Hypius, in Bithynia, which, according to Memnon (cc. 29, 42, 49), had formerly been called Cierus (
Κίερος), and had belonged to the territory of Heracleia, but had been taken by Prusias, who changed its name.
But there seems to be some confusion here between Cierus and Cius, the latter of which is known to have received the name of Prusias from the king of that name. (Strab. xii. pp. 563, 566) [
L.S]
[p. 2.675] 
