Alabanda ( grc, Ἀλάβανδα) or Antiochia of the Chrysaorians was a city of
ancient Caria
Caria (; from Greek: Καρία, ''Karia''; tr, Karya) was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid-Ionia (Mycale) south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Ionian and Dorian Greeks colonized the west of it and joined the ...
,
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
, the site of which is near
Doğanyurt, Çine,
Aydın Province
Aydın Province ( tr, ) is a province of southwestern Turkey, located in the Aegean Region. The provincial capital is the city of Aydın which has a population of almost 200,000 (2012). Other towns in the province include the summer seaside re ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
.
The city is located in the saddle between two heights. The area is noted for its dark
marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...
and for gemstones that resembled
garnet
Garnets () are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives.
All species of garnets possess similar physical properties and crystal forms, but differ in chemical composition. The different s ...
s.
Stephanus of Byzantium
Stephanus or Stephan of Byzantium ( la, Stephanus Byzantinus; grc-gre, Στέφανος Βυζάντιος, ''Stéphanos Byzántios''; centuryAD), was a Byzantine grammarian and the author of an important geographical dictionary entitled ''Ethni ...
claims that there were two cities named Alabanda (Alabandeus) in Caria, but no other ancient source corroborates this.
History
According to legend, the city was founded by a
Carian
The Carian language is an extinct language of the Luwic subgroup of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European language family. The Carian language was spoken in Caria, a region of western Anatolia between the ancient regions of Lycia and Lydia, ...
hero
Alabandus
Alabandus (Ancient Greek: ) was in Greek mythology a Carian hero, son of Euippus and Callirhoe, although which one is unclear (according to some traditions, his mother's name was Car).
Mythology
Alabandus was the founder of the town of Ala ...
. In the
Carian language, the name is a combination of the words for horse ''ala'' and victory ''banda''. On one occasion,
Herodotus
Herodotus ( ; grc, , }; BC) was an ancient Greek historian and geographer from the Greek city of Halicarnassus, part of the Persian Empire (now Bodrum, Turkey) and a later citizen of Thurii in modern Calabria ( Italy). He is known f ...
mentions Alabanda being located in
Phrygia
In classical antiquity, Phrygia ( ; grc, Φρυγία, ''Phrygía'' ) was a kingdom in the west central part of Anatolia, in what is now Asian Turkey, centered on the Sangarios River. After its conquest, it became a region of the great empires ...
, instead of in Caria, but in fact the same city were meant.
Amyntas II
Amyntas II ( grc, Ἀμύντας) or Amyntas the Little, was the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia for a short time, ''circa'' 393 BC. Thucydides describes him as a son of Philip, the brother of king Perdiccas II. He first succe ...
, son of the
Achaemenid Persian official
Bubares, is known to have been given the rule over the city by king
Xerxes I
Xerxes I ( peo, 𐎧𐏁𐎹𐎠𐎼𐏁𐎠 ; grc-gre, Ξέρξης ; – August 465 BC), commonly known as Xerxes the Great, was the fourth King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, ruling from 486 to 465 BC. He was the son and successor of ...
(r. 486-465 BC).
In the early
Seleucid
The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...
period, the city was part of the
Chrysaorian League The Chrysaorian League ( grc, σύστημα Χρυσαορικόν, ''systema Chrysaorikon'') was an informal loose federation of several cities in ancient region of Caria, Anatolia that was apparently formed in the early Seleucid period and lasted ...
, a loose federation of nearby cities linked by economic and defensive ties and, perhaps, by ethnic ties. The city was renamed Antiochia of the Chrysaorians in honor of
Seleucid
The Seleucid Empire (; grc, Βασιλεία τῶν Σελευκιδῶν, ''Basileía tōn Seleukidōn'') was a Greek state in West Asia that existed during the Hellenistic period from 312 BC to 63 BC. The Seleucid Empire was founded by the ...
king
Antiochus III
Antiochus III the Great (; grc-gre, Ἀντίoχoς Μέγας ; c. 2413 July 187 BC) was a Greek Hellenistic king and the 6th ruler of the Seleucid Empire, reigning from 222 to 187 BC. He ruled over the region of Syria and large parts of the res ...
who preserved the city's peace. It was captured by
Philip V of Macedon
Philip V ( grc-gre, Φίλιππος ; 238–179 BC) was king ( Basileus) of Macedonia from 221 to 179 BC. Philip's reign was principally marked by an unsuccessful struggle with the emerging power of the Roman Republic. He would lead Macedon ag ...
in 201 BC. The name reverted to Alabanda after the Seleucid defeat at the
Battle of Magnesia
The Battle of Magnesia took place in either December 190 or January 189 BC. It was fought as part of the Roman–Seleucid War, pitting forces of the Roman Republic led by the consul Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus and the allied Kingdom of Pe ...
in 190 BC. The
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
occupied the city shortly thereafter.
According to
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the estab ...
in Greece they worshiped a number of deified human beings, at Alabanda there was
Alabandus
Alabandus (Ancient Greek: ) was in Greek mythology a Carian hero, son of Euippus and Callirhoe, although which one is unclear (according to some traditions, his mother's name was Car).
Mythology
Alabandus was the founder of the town of Ala ...
.
In 40 BC, the rebel
Quintus Labienus
Quintus Labienus Parthicus (died 39 BC) was a Roman general in the Late Republic period. The son of Titus Labienus, he made an alliance with Parthia and invaded the Roman provinces in the eastern Mediterranean which were under the control of Mark ...
at the head of a
Parthia
Parthia ( peo, 𐎱𐎼𐎰𐎺 ''Parθava''; xpr, 𐭐𐭓𐭕𐭅 ''Parθaw''; pal, 𐭯𐭫𐭮𐭥𐭡𐭥 ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Med ...
n army took the city. After Labienus's garrison was slaughtered by the city's inhabitants, the Parthian army stripped the city of its treasures. Under the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...
, the city became a
conventus
In Ancient Rome territorial organization, a ''conventus iuridicus'' was the capital city of a subdivision of some provinces (Dalmatia, Hispania, Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either consi ...
(
Pliny
Pliny may refer to:
People
* Pliny the Elder (23–79 CE), ancient Roman nobleman, scientist, historian, and author of ''Naturalis Historia'' (''Pliny's Natural History'')
* Pliny the Younger (died 113), ancient Roman statesman, orator, w ...
, V, xxix, 105) and
Strabo
Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-sighted that he could see ...
reports on its reputation for high-living and decadence. The city minted its own coins down to the mid-third century. During the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
, the city was a created a
bishopric
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
.
The ruins of Alabanda are 8 km west of
Çine
Çine is a town and a district of Aydın Province, in the Aegean region of Turkey, from the city of Aydın, on the road to Muğla.
History
Throughout the ages this area has belonged to the Ionians, Caria, Lydians, Persia, Ancient Rome and ...
and consist of the remains of a theatre and a number of other buildings, but excavations have yielded very few inscriptions.
Ecclesiastical history
The names of some bishops of Alabanda are known because of their participation in church councils. Thus Theodoret was at the
Council of Chalcedon
The Council of Chalcedon (; la, Concilium Chalcedonense), ''Synodos tēs Chalkēdonos'' was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bith ...
in 451, Constantine at the
Trullan Council
The Quinisext Council (Latin: ''Concilium Quinisextum''; Koine Greek: , ''Penthékti Sýnodos''), i.e. the Fifth-Sixth Council, often called the Council ''in Trullo'', Trullan Council, or the Penthekte Synod, was a church council held in 692 at ...
in 692, another Constantine at the
Second Council of Nicaea
The Second Council of Nicaea is recognized as the last of the first seven ecumenical councils by the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. In addition, it is also recognized as such by the Old Catholics, the Anglican Communion, and ...
in 787, and John at the
Photian Council of Constantinople (879)
The Fourth Council of Constantinople was held in 879–880. It confirmed the reinstatement of Photius I as patriarch of Constantinople.
The result of this council is accepted by some Eastern Orthodox as having the authority of an ecumenical co ...
. The names of two non-orthodox bishops of the see are also known: Zeuxis, who was deposed for
Monophysitism
Monophysitism ( or ) or monophysism () is a Christological term derived from the Greek (, "alone, solitary") and (, a word that has many meanings but in this context means "nature"). It is defined as "a doctrine that in the person of the incarn ...
in 518, and Julian, who was bishop from around 558 to around 568 and was a
Jacobite. No longer a residential diocese, Alabanda is today listed by the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
as a
titular see
A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbish ...
.
Notable people
*
Aridolis
Aridolis ( grc, Ἀρίδωλις) was a tyrant of Alabanda in Caria, who accompanied the Achaemenid king Xerxes I in his expedition against Greece, and was taken by the Greeks off Artemisium in 480 BCE, and sent to the isthmus of Corinth
C ...
, tyrant of Alabanda during the
Second Persian invasion of Greece
The second Persian invasion of Greece (480–479 BC) occurred during the Greco-Persian Wars, as King Xerxes I of Persia sought to conquer all of Greece. The invasion was a direct, if delayed, response to the defeat of the first Persian invasion ...
*Leon of Alabanda (Λέων), a Greek rhetorician and writer
*
Apollonius the Effeminate Apollonius the Effeminate ( grc, Ἀπολλώνιος ὁ Μαλακος) was a Greek rhetorician of Alabanda in Caria who flourished about 120 BC.
After studying under Menecles, chief of the Asiatic school of oratory, he settled in Rhodes, where ...
, a Greek rhetorician
*Menecles of Alabanda (Μενεκλῆς), a Greek rhetorician, brother of Hierocles
[CICERO, DE ORATORE, 26](_blank)
/ref>
*Hierocles of Alabanda (Ἱεροκλῆς), a Greek rhetorician, brother of Menecles
* Apollonius Molon, a Greek rhetorician
*Apaturius Apaturius ( grc, Ἀπατούριος) of Alabanda was a scene-painter of ancient Greece, whose mode of painting the scene of the little theatre at Tralles is described by Vitruvius, with the criticism made upon it by Licinius.Vitruvius, '' De arc ...
, a Greek scene-painter
*Menedemus of Alabanda (Μενέδημος), a Greek general who participated at the Battle of Raphia
The Battle of Raphia, also known as the Battle of Gaza, was fought on 22 June 217 BC near modern Rafah between the forces of Ptolemy IV Philopator, king and pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt and Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid Empire durin ...
Bishops
*Theodoret (mentioned in 451)
* Zeuxis (? – 518 deposed) (Monophysite)
* Julian (about 558 – about 568) (Jacobite)
*Constantine (mentioned in 692)
*Constantine II (mentioned in 787)
*John (mentioned in 879)
*Saba (9th–10th century)
*Nicephorus (11th century)
*Anonymous (mentioned 11th century)
*William O'Carroll, (February 3, 1874 – October 13, 1880)[Pius Bonifacius Gams, ''Series Episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae'', Leipzig 1931, p. 447.]
*Rocco Leonasi (March 30, 1882 – March 14, 1883)
*Giuseppe Francica-Nava de Bontifè (August 9, 1883 – May 24)
*Nicola Lorusso (June 23, 1890 – June 8, 1891)
*John Brady (June 19, 1891 – January 6, 1910)
*Joseph Lang (February 26, 1915 – 1 November 1924)
*François Chaize,(May 12, 1925 – February 23, 1949)
*José María García Grain,(March 10, 1949 – May 27, 1959)
*Michel Ntuyahaga (June 11, 1959 – November 10, 1959
*James William Malone
James William Malone (March 8, 1920 – April 9, 2000) was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown in Ohio from 1968 to 1995.
Biography
Early life
James Malone was born in Youngstown ...
(January 2, 1960 – May 2, 1968)
Bibliography
*''Turkey: The Aegean and Mediterranean Coasts'', Blue Guides , pp. 349–50.
*J. Ma, ''Antiochos III and the Cities of Western Asia Minor'', , p. 175
External links
Hazlitt's Classical Gazetteer
Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography (1854) at Perseus Project
References
Sources
*
*
{{Authority control
Populated places in ancient Caria
Archaeological sites in the Aegean Region
Seleucid colonies in Anatolia
Ruins in Turkey
Catholic titular sees in Asia
Former populated places in Turkey
Buildings and structures in Aydın Province
Tourist attractions in Aydın Province
Çine District