Samosata

37.5538.5Koordinaten: 37 ° 33 'N, 38 ° 30' E

Samosata (Greek Σαμόσατα ) was an ancient city whose ruins are now submerged by the Atatürk Dam in the modern Turkish city in the province of Adiyaman Samsat. Located in the southeast of Turkey today on the right bank of the upper Euphrates, it was attached to protect an important river crossing on an east- west trade route. Samosata was also station on the route from Damascus, Palmyra and Sura up to Armenia and the Black Sea. Finds from Samosata are exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Adiyaman.

History

The town was founded under the name Kummuhu by the Hittites and was capital of the province of the Assyrian Empire Kummuh. To 160 BC Samosata was the capital of the Hellenistic Kingdom of Commagene. Its name comes from the Commagene ruler of Samos II 72 AD Samosata was conquered by the Roman Empire and also formally integrated with the whole Commagene in the Empire. The city was an important trade center due to its Euphratüberganges and was a local center for Greek- Hellenistic education. The most famous son of Samosata was the writer and satirist Lucian, who lived in the 2nd century. Up to the time of Diocletian Samosata was an important base on the Euphrates frontier ( Limes ).

According to the Christian martyrology 297 seven people were crucified in Samosata, because they refused to perform pagan rituals on the occasion of a victory over the Persians Emperor Maximian in: Abibus, Hipparchus, St James, Lollian, Paragnus, Philotheus and Romanus. The historicity of this later legend, however, is questionable; not least because in truth not Maximian, Galerius but at that time was in charge of Samosata Emperor, while Maximian resided in Gaul. (Also, began the persecution of Christians until the year 303 )

In Samosata Emperor Julian had to build ships for his campaign against Shapur II. Under Justinian I the city wall was repaired. In the war of the emperor Heraclius against the Persian king Chosroes II in the 7th century, the city was the site of fighting. 934 the city was destroyed by John Kurkumas and Melia. After the Battle of Manzikert the town belonged to the dominion of Philaretos Brachamios, but fell in 1085 to the Emir of Harran, Charaf ad-Daula.

In February 1098 here destroyed Baldwin of Edessa, the army of the Emir Balduch. 1114 Samosata was one of the headquarters of the Muslims in the battle against the Count of Edessa, who conquered the city, but by 1148 lost again.

1392 Samosata fell to the Ottomans, but was torn and plundered the Ottomans in 1401 by Tamerlane. Only in 1516 were able to take the city back the Ottomans. Samosata was the chief town of a sanjak, but had lost its former importance. After the fall of the Ottomans Samosata became part of the Republic of Turkey and raised in 1960 to a county. The construction of the Ataturk Dam, the ancient city would be flooded, so that in 1988 the residents were relocated to the newly founded city Samsat.

Sons and daughters of the town

• Lucian of Samosata (c. 120-180 ), a famous satirist and sophist, have been preserved from the approximately seventy works.
• Paul of Samosata, the third leader of the Elkasiten ( an Essene Gnostic Order), who lived in the middle of the 3rd century.
• Lucian of Antioch ( 250-312 ), Theologian.
• Andrew of Samosata was Bishop of the city and theologian.
• In Maratha, near the city, the pillar saints Daniel Stylites was born (c. 409-493 ).