Arsamosata
Arsamosata (
It was left and destroyed in the 1st century BC. In the Middle Ages, it was called Ashmushat. In Roman and Byzantine times, it bore the names Armosota (Ἀρμόσοτα)[4] and Arsamosota (Ἀρσαμόσοτα).[5] It was also known in Byzantine times as Asmosaton.[6]: 247 It was called Shimshāṭ in Arabic.[7] A prominent native of Arsamosata was the 10th-century poet Abu'l-Hasan Ali al-Shimshati.[7]
Arsamosata has been identified with the abandoned settlement site known as Haraba,
History
Limited archaeological evidence, consisting of a few pottery finds that strongly resemble
The ancient towns at Harput and Norşuntepe dispersed around the
In late antiquity, Arsamosata formed one of the main settlements in the district of
Later, in the period after the Arab conquest, Dadima shrank to a small town, probably because it was close to the Arab-Byzantine border and therefore prone to attack.
However, despite its more secure position, Arsamosata still lay in a contested region, and it changed hands several times during this period.[7] A Byzantine offensive in 837, led by the emperor Theophilos, captured Arsamosata along with Melitene.[6]: 256 By autumn 938, the city was back under Arab control - the Hamdanid amir Sayf al-Dawla retreated toward Arsamosata that autumn while being pursued by Byzantine forces.[6]: 270 [7] In 939, according to James Howard-Johnston, Arsamosata fell to the Byzantines again.[6]: 248 [note 1]
After the Byzantine conquest, Arsamosata was made the capital of a small and[note 2] This theme probably only covered the immediately surrounding plains to the north and east; i.e. the easternmost part of Anzitene.[8]: 149 In the 970s, the theme of Arsamosata was broken up.[8]: 149 Arsamosata shrank to a medium-sized town and some of its population probably migrated to Harput, the new main capital of the region.[8]: 149 A garrison was still kept at Arsamosata's citadel, but the town walls were probably now too big for the dwindling settlement within and must have fallen into disuse.[8]: 149, 152
Arsamosata still existed under the
The name "Arsamosata" continued to be used until modern times, to denote a group of several villages near where the old city had once stood.[8]: 112 As of the 20th century, there were seven of them, collectively known as "Arşimşat" (from the Arabic form of the city's name).[8]: 112 The closest one to the old city was Haraba (from Arabic "kharaba", meaning "ruin"), about half a kilometer to the southwest of the ruins.[8]: 112 A local tradition recorded around the turn of the 20th century held that there had once been a large city here, divided into two parts called "Samusat" and "Ashmushat".[6]: 270
Even before the construction of the
Bishopric
Arsamosata was historically the seat of a
No longer a residential bishopric, Arsamosata is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see.[11][12]
Notes
- ^ An alternate chronology, proposed by Canard, has Arsamosata surrendering to the Byzantines shortly after they took Melitene in 934, then being recaptured by the Arabs in 938, and finally coming under Byzantine control again in 944.[6]: 270 Howard-Johnston argues against this, saying that John Kourkouas's siege of Theodosiopolis in 940 wouldn't have made sense strategically unless Arsamosata had already been secured.[6]: 270
- De administrando imperio - which was written that year - includes Arsamosata in its list of themes.[6]: 270
- ^ It's not clear if the people leaving Arsamosata founded new villages in the area or if they simply migrated to already existing ones.[8]: 112
References
- ^ a b Canepa 2018, p. 110.
- ^ Marciak 2017, p. 123.
- ^ Canepa 2021, p. 82.
- ^ Polybius. The Histories. Vol. 8.25.
- ^ Ptolemy. The Geography. Vol. 5.13.
- ^ ISBN 0-86078-992-6. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
- ^ ISBN 90-04-10422-4. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ ISBN 0907132340. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ^ Lund University. Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire.
- ISBN 978-0-691-03169-9.
- ^ Titular Episcopal See of Arsamosata, gcatholic.org
- ^ [1], catholic-hierarchy.org
Sources
- Canepa, Matthew (2021). "Commagene Before and Beyond Antiochos I: Dynastic Identity, Topographies of Power and Persian Spectacular Religion". Common Dwelling Place of all the Gods: Commagene in its Local, Regional, and Global Context. Franz Steiner Verlag. pp. 71–103. ISBN 978-3515129251.
- ISBN 9780520379206.
- Marciak, Michał (2017). Sophene, Gordyene, and Adiabene: Three Regna Minora of Northern Mesopotamia Between East and West. BRILL. ISBN 9789004350724.
- Michels, Christoph (2021). "'Achaemenid' and 'Hellenistic' Strands of Representation in the Minor Kingdoms of Asia Minor". Common Dwelling Place of all the Gods: Commagene in its Local, Regional, and Global Context. Franz Steiner Verlag. pp. 475–496. ISBN 978-3515129251.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Armosota". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.