- Elaiussa Sebaste
Elaiussa Sebaste or Elaeousa Sebaste ( _el. Ελαιούσα Σεβαστή) was an ancient Roman town located 55 km from
Mersin in the direction ofSilifke inCilicia on the southern coast ofAnatolia (in modern-dayTurkey ). Elaiussa, meaningolive , was founded in the2nd century B.C. on a tiny island attached to the mainland by a narrow isthmus inMediterranean Sea .Besides the cultivation of olives, the settlement here of the
Cappadocia n king Archelaus during the reign of the Roman EmperorAugustus played a role in the development of the city. Founding a new city on the isthmus, Archelaus called it Sebaste, which is the Greek equivalent word of theLatin "Augusta". The city entered a golden age when the Roman EmperorVespasian purgedCilicia of pirates in74 A.D. Towards the end of the3rd century A.D. however its importance began to wane, owing in large part to incursions by theSassania n KingShapur I in260 and later by theIsauria ns. The ancient sources tell the history of city’s existence and how the churches and basilicas survived into in the late Roman and early Byzantine periods. When its neighborCorycus began to flourish in the6th century A.D., Elaiussa Sebaste was slowly obliterated from the stage of history.The island that was the site of the first settlement here, where excavations have been underway since
1995 headed by Italianarcheologist Eugenia Equini Schneider, is almost completely buried under sand. The original settlement, at a location that provided security for the harbors on either side, is a peninsula today. The ruins of a bath, acistern , a defense wall and a breakwater can be seen on the side overlooking the western bay of the peninsula. But the most important remains unearthed in the city are a bath whose floor is paved with mosaics and a small basilica on a circular base.On the opposite side of the highway that divides Elaiussa and Sebaste today stands a theater dating to the
2nd century A.D., an extremely small structure with only 23 rows of seats, whose steps and decorations unfortunately succumbed to centuries of plunder. Next to the theater is theagora , built in all great probability during the imperial period. At the entrance of the agora, which is surrounded by a semi-destroyed defense wall once rose two monumental fountains in the shape of lions. Inside the agora stands a large church, its floor is covered by sand to protect the mosaic pavement. Elaiussa’s only temple stands outside the city on a hill overlooking the sea. Only two of theCorinthian column s of this temple, which had 12 on the long and 6 on the short side originally, are standing today. A large bath complex among the lemon groves between the temple and the agora was built by a technique characteristic of the ancient Roman period and little used inAnatolia .The ruins of Elaiussa Sebaste also harbor the richest and most impressive
necropolis among the cities of ancient Cilicia. The "Avenue of Graves", located on a hill to the north of the city, preserves close to a hundred graves of various shapes and sizes scattered among the lemon trees. The aesthetic forms of these monumental graves of Cilicia Tracheia are remarkable.The ancient aqueducts that carried water to the ruins from the Lamos ("Lemon") river also adorn the city’s two entrances. The aqueduct to the west of the city in particular is in relatively good condition. Centuries ago these aqueduct, as delicate as necklaces, actually formed a canal system that ran all the way to Corycus.
A lidded
sarcophagus lies on a small rise exactly opposite the aqueduct. Known as "the Grave of the Princess", this sarcophagus is a prime example of the Anatolian tomb tradition.External links
* [http://www.archaeology-classic.com/turkey/Elaiussa.html Archaelogical web site]
References
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* "Skylife" October 2005, a periodical ofTurkish Airlines
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