Seleucia above Zeugma
Encyclopedia
Seleucia epi tou Zeugmatos (Seleucia at the Zeugma) – , also transliterated Seleukeia epi tou Zeugmatos, – was a Hellenistic city - or rather, fortified town - in the present Republic of Turkey
, on the left, or south, bank of the Euphrates, across from ancient Samosata
and not far from it.
It is mentioned in isolated incidents: Antiochus III the Great
married a Pontic
princess there in 221 BC
; the Oxford Classical Dictionary ascribed this to Zeugma
. Tigranes
let Cleopatra Selene, the widow of Antiochus X Eusebes
, be killed there. Pompey
gave the city and its surroundings to Antiochus I Theos of Commagene
; Pliny the Elder
nonetheless ascribes it to Coele Syria. The bishop Eusebius of Samosata
ruled a day's journey from his see, even to Zeugma. The name of the city is confirmed by an inscription from Rhodes, which refers to a man "of Seleucia, of those on the Euphrates".
Its location is uncertain. It had a bridge of boats, like the well-known (and now submerged) city of Zeugma
, in Osrohene further downstream; which is too far downstream, and on the wrong side of the river to be the boundary of Eusebius' see. By the same reasoning, it cannot be either of the places called el Qantara ("bridge") which were just above, and 2 km below, modern Samsat, Turkey
, before its old site was also flooded, by the Ataturk Dam
. The Barrington Atlas conjectures that it was at Killik, Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey 37°26′N 38°14′E), on the basis of T.A. Sinclair's Eastern Turkey : an architectural and archaeological survey, which is some 40 km downstream from Samosata, and below the dam.
The reasoning here is unclear. Sinclair shows this Killik (which means "Claypit" in Turkish), on his map at IV 172, but all four of his references to the name in his text are to a Killik at 39°23′N 37°42′E, at the headwaters of the Euphrates, near Divriği
.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, on the left, or south, bank of the Euphrates, across from ancient Samosata
Samosata
Samosata was an ancient city on the right bank of the Euphrates whose ruins existed at the modern city of Samsat, Adıyaman Province, Turkey until the site was flooded by the newly-constructed Atatürk Dam....
and not far from it.
It is mentioned in isolated incidents: Antiochus III the Great
Antiochus III the Great
Antiochus III the Great Seleucid Greek king who became the 6th ruler of the Seleucid Empire as a youth of about eighteen in 223 BC. Antiochus was an ambitious ruler who ruled over Greater Syria and western Asia towards the end of the 3rd century BC...
married a Pontic
Pontus
Pontus or Pontos is a historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region in antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Πόντος...
princess there in 221 BC
221 BC
Year 221 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Asina and Rufus/Lepidus...
; the Oxford Classical Dictionary ascribed this to Zeugma
Zeugma (city)
Zeugma is an ancient city of Commagene; currently located in the Gaziantep Province of Turkey . It is a historical settlement which is considered among the four most important settlement areas under the reign of the kingdom of Commagene...
. Tigranes
Tigranes
Tigranes was the name of a number of historical figures, primarily kings of Armenia.The earliest Tigranes is mentioned in the Cyropaedia and in Armenian historical sources. He was an Armenian king from the Orontid Dynasty and an ally of Cyrus the Great. One of his sons was also named Tigranes...
let Cleopatra Selene, the widow of Antiochus X Eusebes
Antiochus X Eusebes
Antiochus X Eusebes Philopator, ruler of the Greek Seleucid kingdom, was a contestant in the tangled-up family feuds among the last Seleucids. Beginning his reign in 95 BC his first achievement was to defeat his double half-cousin/second cousin Seleucus VI Epiphanes, thus avenging the recent death...
, be killed there. Pompey
Pompey
Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, also known as Pompey or Pompey the Great , was a military and political leader of the late Roman Republic...
gave the city and its surroundings to Antiochus I Theos of Commagene
Antiochus I Theos of Commagene
Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philorhomaios Philhellenos Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philorhomaios Philhellenos Antiochus I Theos Dikaios Epiphanes Philorhomaios Philhellenos (Greek: о Αντίοχος Θεός Δίκαιος Επιφανής Φιλορωμαίος Φιλέλλην, meaning Antiochos, a just, eminent god, friend...
; Pliny the Elder
Pliny the Elder
Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
nonetheless ascribes it to Coele Syria. The bishop Eusebius of Samosata
Eusebius of Samosata
Saint Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata was a Christian martyr and opponent of Arianism. His feast day is June 21 in the Western Church and June 22 in the Eastern Church....
ruled a day's journey from his see, even to Zeugma. The name of the city is confirmed by an inscription from Rhodes, which refers to a man "of Seleucia, of those on the Euphrates".
Its location is uncertain. It had a bridge of boats, like the well-known (and now submerged) city of Zeugma
Zeugma (city)
Zeugma is an ancient city of Commagene; currently located in the Gaziantep Province of Turkey . It is a historical settlement which is considered among the four most important settlement areas under the reign of the kingdom of Commagene...
, in Osrohene further downstream; which is too far downstream, and on the wrong side of the river to be the boundary of Eusebius' see. By the same reasoning, it cannot be either of the places called el Qantara ("bridge") which were just above, and 2 km below, modern Samsat, Turkey
Samsat, Turkey
Samsat is a small town in the Adıyaman Province of Turkey, situated on the upper Euphrates river.Archaeological research on the hill of Şehremuz in Samsat has uncovered relics from the 7000 BC Paleolithic era; the 5000 BC Neolithic, 3000 BC Chalcolithic and 3000 to 1200 BC Bronze Ages...
, before its old site was also flooded, by the Ataturk Dam
Atatürk Dam
The Atatürk Dam , originally the Karababa Dam, is a zoned rock-fill dam with a central core on the Euphrates River on the border of Adıyaman Province and Şanlıurfa Province in Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey...
. The Barrington Atlas conjectures that it was at Killik, Şanlıurfa Province, Turkey 37°26′N 38°14′E), on the basis of T.A. Sinclair's Eastern Turkey : an architectural and archaeological survey, which is some 40 km downstream from Samosata, and below the dam.
The reasoning here is unclear. Sinclair shows this Killik (which means "Claypit" in Turkish), on his map at IV 172, but all four of his references to the name in his text are to a Killik at 39°23′N 37°42′E, at the headwaters of the Euphrates, near Divriği
Divrigi
Divriği is a town and a district of Sivas Province of Turkey. The town lies on gentle slope on the south bank of the Çaltısuyu river, a tributary of the Karasu river....
.
Further reading
- From Pauly-Wissowa
- PolybiusPolybiusPolybius , Greek ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic Period noted for his work, The Histories, which covered the period of 220–146 BC in detail. The work describes in part the rise of the Roman Republic and its gradual domination over Greece...
, 5.43.1 - StraboStraboStrabo, also written Strabon was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher.-Life:Strabo was born to an affluent family from Amaseia in Pontus , a city which he said was situated the approximate equivalent of 75 km from the Black Sea...
, XVI 749 - AppianAppianAppian of Alexandria was a Roman historian of Greek ethnicity who flourished during the reigns of Trajan, Hadrian, and Antoninus Pius.He was born ca. 95 in Alexandria. He tells us that, after having filled the chief offices in the province of Egypt, he went to Rome ca. 120, where he practised as...
, Mithradates 114 - Pliny the ElderPliny the ElderGaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...
, 5,82 - TheodoretTheodoretTheodoret of Cyrus or Cyrrhus was an influential author, theologian, and Christian bishop of Cyrrhus, Syria . He played a pivotal role in many early Byzantine church controversies that led to various ecumenical acts and schisms...
4.14 - CIGCIGCIG could stand for:* Certified Interpretive Guide, credentials earned by participating in a training course by the National Association for Interpretation , which leads to certification....
II 2548
- Polybius