Selge () was an important city in

ancient Pisidia Pisidia (; , ; ) was a region of ancient Asia Minor located north of Pamphylia, northeast of Lycia, west of Isauria and Cilicia, and south of Phrygia, corresponding roughly to the modern-day province of Antalya in Turkey. Among Pisidia's set ...

and later in

Pamphylia Pamphylia (; , ''Pamphylía'' ) was a region in the south of Anatolia, Asia Minor, between Lycia and Cilicia, extending from the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean to Mount Taurus (all in modern-day Antalya province, Turkey). It was bounded on the ...

, on the southern slope of Mount Taurus, modern

Antalya Province Antalya Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality of Turkey. It is located on the Mediterranean Region, Turkey, Mediterranean coast of south-west Turkey, between the Taur ...

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 ...

, at the part where the river

Eurymedon River Eurymedon may refer to: Historical figures *Eurymedon (strategos) (died 413 BC), one of the Athenian generals (strategoi) during the Peloponnesian War *Eurymedon of Myrrhinus, married Plato's sister, Potone; he was the father of Speusippus *Eurym ...

() forces its way through the mountains towards the south.

History

The town was believed to be a

Greek colony Greek colonisation refers to the expansion of Archaic Greeks, particularly during the 8th–6th centuries BC, across the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea. The Archaic expansion differed from the Iron Age migrations of the Greek Dark Ages ...

, for

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 "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

states that it was founded by

Sparta Sparta was a prominent city-state in Laconia in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (), while the name Sparta referred to its main settlement in the Evrotas Valley, valley of Evrotas (river), Evrotas rive ...

ns, but adds the somewhat unintelligible remark that previously it had been founded by

Calchas Calchas (; , ''Kalkhas'') is an Argive mantis, or " seer," dated to the Age of Legend, which is an aspect of Greek mythology. Calchas appears in the opening scenes of the ''Iliad'', which is believed to have been based on a war conducted by t ...

Stephanus of Byzantium Stephanus or Stephen of Byzantium (; , ''Stéphanos Byzántios''; centuryAD) was a Byzantine grammarian and the author of an important geographical dictionary entitled ''Ethnica'' (). Only meagre fragments of the dictionary survive, but the epit ...

, in the ''Ethnica'', also wrote that the city was a Lacedaemon colony. The

acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens ...

of Selge bore the name of Kesbedion. The district in which the town was situated was extremely fertile, producing abundance of oil and wine, but the town itself was difficult of access, being surrounded by precipices and beds of torrents flowing towards the Eurymedon and Cestrus (today Aksu), and requiring bridges to make them passable. In consequence of its excellent laws and political constitution, Selge rose to the rank of the most powerful and populous city of Pisidia, and at one time was able to send an army of 20,000 men into the field. Owing to these circumstances, and the valour of its inhabitants, for which they were regarded as worthy kinsmen of the Spartans, the Selgians were never subject to any foreign power, but remained in the enjoyment of their own freedom and independence. When

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

passed through Pisidia (333 BC), Selge sent an embassy to him and gained his favour and friendship. At that time they were at war with

Termessos Termessos (Greek Τερμησσός ''Termēssós''), also known as Termessos Major (Τερμησσός ἡ μείζων), was a Pisidian city built at an altitude of about 1000 metres at the south-west side of Solymos Mountain (modern Gül ...

. At the period when Achaeus had made himself master of Western Asia, Selge were at war with Pednelissus, which was besieged by them; and Achaeus, on the invitation of Pednelissus, sent a large force against Selge (218 BC). After a long and vigorous siege, the Selgians, being betrayed and despairing of resisting Achaeus any longer, sent deputies to sue for peace, which was granted to them on the following terms: they agreed to pay immediately 400 talents, to restore the prisoners of Pednelissus, and after a time to pay 300 talents in addition. In the 5th century AD

Zosimus Zosimus, Zosimos, Zosima or Zosimas may refer to: People * * Rufus and Zosimus (died 107), Christian saints * Zosimus (martyr) (died 110), Christian martyr who was executed in Umbria, Italy * Zosimos of Panopolis, also known as ''Zosimus Alch ...

calls it indeed a little town, but it was still strong enough to repel a body of

Goths The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...

. It is strange that Pliny does not notice Selge, for it is known from its coins that it was still a flourishing town in the time of

Hadrian Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...

; and it is also mentioned in

Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; , ; ; – 160s/170s AD) was a Greco-Roman mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were important to later Byzantine science, Byzant ...

and Hierocles. Independently of wine and oil, the country about Selge was rich in timber, and a variety of trees, among which the

storax Storax (; , ''stúrax''), often commercially sold as styrax, is a natural fragrant resin isolated from the wounded bark of ''Liquidambar orientalis'' Mill. (Asia Minor) and ''Liquidambar styraciflua'' L. (Eastern US, Mexico, Central America) (A ...

was much valued from its yielding a strong perfume. Selge was also celebrated for an ointment prepared from the iris root.

Remains

The remains of the city consist mainly of parts of the encircling wall and of the acropolis. A few traces have survived of the gymnasium, the

stoa A stoa (; plural, stoas,"stoa", ''Oxford English Dictionary'', 2nd Ed., 1989 stoai, or stoae ), in ancient Greek architecture, is a covered walkway or portico, commonly for public use. Early stoas were open at the entrance with columns, usually ...

, the

stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...

and the

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

. There are also the outlines of two temples, but the best conserved monument is the

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

, restored in the 3rd century AD. Selge was the seat of a

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

; it remains 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 archbi ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. File:Selge panorama.jpg, Selge Theatre and surroundings panorama File:Selge Theatre from far 5088.jpg, Selge Theatre from far File:Selge Theatre from side 5101.jpg, Selge Theatre from side File:Selge Theatre Inside 5112.jpg, Selge Theatre Inside File:Selge Theatre Inside 5113.jpg, Selge Theatre Inside File:Selge Theatre and countryside 5114.jpg, Selge Theatre and countryside File:Selge Unknown structure 5128.jpg, Selge Unknown structure File:Selge Unknown structure 5134.jpg, Selge Unknown structure File:Selge Rubble 5117.jpg, Selge Rubble File:Selge Aquaduct 5150.jpg, Selge Aqueduct

Nearby

Halfway on the road to Selge from the

n coastal plain, a well-preserved Roman Bridge crosses the deep Eurymedon valley.

Bishopric

Selge was a see of an ancient bishopric of the Roman province of Pamphylia Prima in the civil diocese of Asia which today survives only as a suppressed seat of the

Patriarchate of Constantinople The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (, ; ; , "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate, Ecumenical Patriarchate of Istanbul") is one of the fifteen to seventeen autocephalous churches that together compose the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is headed ...

and a

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. The Bishopric is documented in the ''

Notitiae Episcopatuum The ''Notitiae Episcopatuum'' (singular: ''Notitia Episcopatuum'') were official documents that furnished for Eastern countries the list and hierarchical rank of the metropolitan and suffragan bishoprics of a church. In the Roman Church (the mos ...

'' of the Patriarchate of Constantinople until the fourteenth century. Its lapse is probably due to the Islamic conquest of Turkey. Since the nineteenth century Selge has been counted among the titular archbishopric headquarters of the Catholic Church; the title has not been assigned since September 13, 1969.

Byzantine-era residential bishops

* Uranion (mentioned in 325) * Nunechius (mentioned in 431) * Marcianus (mentioned in 869) who intervened in the Council of Constantinople of 869-870 * Gregory (mentioned in 879) * Basil (around 10th century) * Theodore (around 11th century)

Titular Catholic Archbishops

* Antoine-Marie-Joseph Usse, (1893 - 1905) * Eduardo Solar Vicuña (1914 - 1920) * Raymond-René Lerouge, (1920-1949) * João Batista Portocarrero Costa (1953-1959) * Bernard James Sheil (1959-1969)

References

* Hellenkemper, Hansgerd; Hild, Friedrich (2004). ''Tabula Imperii Byzantini 8: Lykien und Pamphylien.'' Wien: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, pp. 835–838. * Machatschek, Alois; Schwarz, Mario (1981). ''Bauforschungen in Selge.'' Wien: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. * Nollé, Johannes; Schindler, Friedel (1991). ''Die Inschriften von Selge.'' Bonn: Dr. Rudolf Habelt. * Nollé, Johannes (2015). ''Münzen, Bäume und Gelehrte. Zum ‹Naturheiligtum› der pisidischen Bergstadt Selge.'' München. * Smith, William (editor); ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography'' is the last in a series of classical dictionaries edited by the English scholar William Smith (1813–1893), following '' A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities'' and the '' Dictionary of G ...

''
"Selge"

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, (1854) *Richard Stillwell, William L. MacDonald, Marian Holland McAllister (editors);
The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites
'
"Selge"

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

, (1976) *''

Catholic Encyclopedia ''The'' ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'', also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedi ...

''
"Selge"

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, (1913)

Notes

{{Authority control Greek colonies in Anatolia Archaeological sites in Antalya Province Populated places in Pisidia Populated places in ancient Pamphylia Former populated places in Turkey Geography of Antalya Province History of Antalya Province Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Turkey Roman towns and cities in Turkey Catholic titular sees in Asia Manavgat District