Çankırı

Çankırı is the capital city of Çankırı Province, in Turkey, about 140km northeast of Ankara. It is situated about 800 m (2500 ft) above sea level.HistoryÇankırı was known in antiquity as Gangra, and later Germanicopolis. The city has also been known as Changra, Kandari or KanghariΑ town of Paphlagonia that appears to have been once the capital of Paphlagonia and a princely residence, for it is known from Strabo that Deiotarus Philadelphus (before 31 BC–5/6 AD), the last king of Paphlagonia, resided there. Notwithstanding this, Strabo describes it as only “a small town and a garrison.”According to 1st century BC writer Alexander the Polyhistor the town was built by a goat herder who had found one of his goats straying there; but this origin is probably a mere philological speculation as gangra signifies “a goat” in the Paphlagonian language.Gangra, was absorbed into the Roman province of Galatia upon the death of Deiotarus in 6/5 BC. The earlier town was built on the hill behind the modern city, on which are the ruins of a late fortress, while the Roman city occupied the site of the modern city.In the writings of the 2nd century AD Greco-Roman writer Ptolemy, the city is referred to as Germanopolis. It was named Germanicopolis, after Germanicus or possibly the emperor Claudius, until the time of Caracalla.