Satala

40.02611111111139.590555555556Koordinaten: 40 ° 1 ' 34 " N, 39 ° 35' 26" E

Satala ( altarmenisch Սատաղ, Satal ) was an important transport hub and Roman military camp in Lesser Armenia. The ancient city is located at the site of today's Turkish village of Sadak, Gümüşhane province, district Kelkit.

History

The area was already inhabited by Hittites, Assyrians and Greeks. In Roman times Satala was one of the most important military camp in this area. The Legio XV Apollinaris was stationed there until the 4th century. Satala lay at the crossroads of two important connecting routes in the area: the east-west route from Ancyra on Nicopolis and Satala to northern Armenia and the north-south route from the Black Sea port of Trebizond on the great military camp Satala, Melitene and Zeugma up to Antioch. 297 it came here to a decisive battle between the Romans and the Sassanids, who had invaded Armenia. The Sassanids were defeated and had to withdraw in the subsequent period from Armenia.

After the Romans, the town belonged to the Byzantine Empire ( Battle of Satala (530 ) ).

The ruins are like a amphitheater the hillside above the present village of Sadak up. In the necropolis there are some reliefs depicting the goddess Nike, has been found.