Sestos

Sestos was an ancient town of the Thracian Chersonese, the modern Gallipoli peninsula in European Turkey. Situated on the Hellespont opposite Abydos, it was the home of Hero in the legend of Hero and Leander. Sestos was an Aeolian colony, as it was founded by settlers from Lesbos. Her ruins near to Eceabat.

Xerxes' army crossed at this point on a bridge in 480 BC, and most of Alexander the Great's forces went the other way here by boat in 334 BC.

The Seige of Sestos in 479-478BC (Persian WarsPeriod)

Some time after the Greek victories (against Persia)at Plataea and Mycale Greek forces under the command of Xanthippus besiged a the Persian garrison at Sestos from 479-478BC at which time the Greeks conquered the city. As a result Persian influence along the Hellespont was significantly reduced, this served the dual goal of denying Persian land forces acesses to the Greek mainland while restoring Athenian trade to Black Sea ports such as Byzantium.

In 1810 Lord Byron swam from Sestos to Abydos in four hours, recreating Leander's feat.