Kuşkayası (
Turkish for ''Bird's rock'') is a roadside monument just outside the town of
Amasra
Amasra (from Greek language, Greek Amastris Ἄμαστρις, ''gen''. Ἀμάστριδος) is a small Black Sea port town in the Bartın Province, Turkey. It is the seat of Amasra District.[Bartın Province
Bartın Province () is a small Provinces of Turkey, province in northern Turkey on the Black Sea, surrounding the city of Bartın. Its area is 2,330 km2, and its population is 203,351 (2022). It lies to the east of Zonguldak Province.
The to ...]
, in the
Black Sea Region of
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. It was erected in the
Roman Imperial
The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...
age.
Location
The landmark lies in a dense forest, situated to the south of the road connecting
Amasra
Amasra (from Greek language, Greek Amastris Ἄμαστρις, ''gen''. Ἀμάστριδος) is a small Black Sea port town in the Bartın Province, Turkey. It is the seat of Amasra District.[Bartın
Bartın is a city in northern Turkey, near the Black Sea. It is the seat of Bartın Province and Bartın District.][Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...]
. The altitude of the monument is about above sea level. It can be reached by a staircase from the road.
History
The Kuşkayası road monument is a unique structure in Turkey. It was built by
Gaius Julius Aquila
Gaius Julius Aquila was the name of a number of people who lived during the Roman Empire.
Prefect of Egypt
Gaius Julius Aquila was a ''praefectus'' of Roman Egypt between 10 CE and 11.
Governor of Bythinia et Pontus
Gaius Julius Aquila was a Roma ...
, procurator of
Bithynia et Pontus
Bithynia and Pontus (, Ancient Greek ) was the name of a province of the Roman Empire on the Black Sea coast of Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). It was formed during the late Roman Republic by the amalgamation of the former kingdoms of Bithynia (mad ...
, in honor of
Roman Emperor Tiberius Claudius Germanicus (AD 41–54). The monument includes a statue of a now headless human figure, the
Roman eagle (also headless) and a bilingual inscription, all carved into the mountain. The human figure may represent either the Emperor or the Governor. In the original monument there was also a fountain (which no longer exists).
Inscription
The inscription is in Latin and Greek translations, which allow lacunae in one to be supplemented by the surviving text of the other.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kuskayasi Monument
Buildings and structures in Bartın Province
Archaeological sites in the Black Sea region
Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Turkey
Monuments and memorials in Turkey
Steles in Turkey
History of Bartın Province
1st-century inscriptions