Elaiussa Sebaste

36.48362434.173725Koordinaten: 36 ° 29 '1 " N, 34 ° 10' 25" E

Elaiussa Sebaste is an ancient city and temporary royal residence on the coast of Cilicia, in the present-day village Ayaş, approximately 30 km east of Silifke in the Turkish province of Mersin. It is adjacent to the ancient Korykos, today Kızkalesi.

Location of the city

Little is known about the pre-Roman history of the place, he is first mentioned in the early 1st century BC The original core of the city was on an island adjacent to the coast, but silted up early. The development of Elaiussa Sebaste was funded by the convenient location on the coastal road that linked in ancient Asia Minor with Syria and the inclusion of the city in the amount of trade in the region. Economically significant for this were the vast forests in the hinterland as timber suppliers and the growing of vines and olives (Greek elaion ), followed by the name of the place probably alludes.

Temporary royal residence

20 BC, the Roman emperor Augustus extended the realm of the Cappadocian King Archelaus I. clientele around part of the so-called " rough Cilicia " and to small areas of Armenia. The acquisition of the Cilician coastal strip was the reason for Archelaus to move his residence from the Cappadocian Mazaca on the ( much more pleasant and more accessible for travelers ) Cilician Elaiussa island, where he had built a palace. Archelaus named the place in honor of Emperor Augustus in " Sebaste " in order (after Sebastos, the Greek form of Augustus ). In his palace in Elaiussa - Sebaste Archelaus also received visitors, among other things, his brother King Herod the Great of Judea.

38 AD, the city fell to Antiochus IV of Commagene. Since 72 AD Elaiussa belonged to the Roman province of Cilicia.

The decline of the city began in the 3rd century, especially through the conquest by the Sassanids in the year 260 In late antiquity it is occupied as a diocese and was well until the arrival of the Arabs continued.

Preserved ancient building

Good condition have a theater, the agora, on the in Late Antiquity, a church was built, a Roman temple which was converted into a church, a large late antique circular building with portico at the harbor, remains of aqueducts and baths. Are numerous, well-preserved necropolis on the streets around the city. A few miles inland, the temporarily Elaiussa belonging Kanytelleis city. About seven kilometers east lies the sea, the area of ​​ruins of Akkale, which probably represents a palace and related buildings. It is commonly seen with Elaiussa - Sebaste in conjunction.

Eastern apse of the Basilica

Floor mosaic

Baptismal font in the Basilica

Excavations

Since 1995, Italian archaeologists digging at the University La Sapienza in Rome under the direction of Eugenia Equini Schneider in Elaiussa Sebaste.