Home

Cydonia

Cydonia is a toponym used for several distinct things in geography, botany, and planetary nomenclature.

In Crete, Cydonia (Greek Kyḗdonía) was an ancient city-state on the island’s northwest coast. Its ruins lie

In botany, Cydonia refers to the quince, specifically Cydonia oblonga. This is a deciduous fruit tree in

In planetary science, Cydonia is the name given to a region on Mars, known as Cydonia Mensae.

near
the
modern
city
of
Chania,
and
the
name
survives
in
the
regional
toponymy
of
the
area.
the
Rosaceae
family,
and
it
is
the
principal
species
placed
in
the
genus
Cydonia.
The
fruit
is
aromatic
and
commonly
used
in
preserves,
jellies,
and
cooking.
Quince
trees
are
cultivated
in
the
Mediterranean
and
other
temperate
regions,
and
some
classifications
treat
Cydonia
as
a
monotypic
genus.
This
area
lies
in
the
northern
part
of
the
planet
and
is
characterized
by
mesas
and
fretted
terrain
at
the
boundary
between
the
highlands
and
northern
plains.
The
region
gained
famous
attention
from
the
1976
Viking
1
image
associated
with
the
so‑called
“Face
on
Mars”;
however,
higher-resolution
images
obtained
later
did
not
support
the
interpretation
of
an
artificial
structure.
The
name
Cydonia
in
this
context
is
drawn
from
the
ancient
region
of
Crete.