Arsamosata (Middle Persian: *Aršāmšād,Old Persian: *Ṛšāma-šiyāti-,Ancient Greek:Ἀρσαμόσατα,Armenian:Արշամաշատ,romanized: Aršamašat) was an ancient and medieval city situated on the bank of theMurat River (called the Arsanias in classical sources), near the present-day city ofElazığ. It was founded inc. 240 BC byArsames I,[1] theOrontid king ofSophene,Commagene and possiblyArmenia.[2] The city served as a central center and royal residence of the Orontids of Sophene. The origin of its name isPersian, meaning "Joy of Arsames".[1] Naming cities such as the "joy of" or "happiness of" was an Orontid (and laterArtaxiad) practice that recalled theAchaemenid royal discourse.[3]
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 namesArmosota (Ἀρμόσοτα)[4] andArsamosota (Ἀρσαμόσοτα).[5] It was also known in Byzantine times asAsmosaton.[6]: 247 It was calledShimshat in Arabic.[7] A prominent native of Arsamosata was the 10th-century poetAbu'l-Hasan Ali al-Shimshati.[7]
Arsamosata has been identified with the abandoned settlement site known asHaraba,[8]: 112 [9][10] located by the Murat River, near the east end of theAltınova plain, some 60 km east of Elazig,.[6] Much of the site now lies submerged under the waters of theKeban Dam. The hill that served as the former city's citadel now juts out toward the northeast into a shallow lake created by the dam.[8]: 112 The city itself appears to have been just below the hill on the southeast, although this is not entirely certain.[8]: 112
Limited archaeological evidence, consisting of a few pottery finds that strongly resembleUrartian ceramics, point to the existence of a settlement at Arsamosata in ancient times—perhaps between the 10th and 7th centuries BCE.[8]: 113 However, any settlement here was probably not very significant.[8]: 134 The main Urartian settlement in the region was atHarput, which seems to have served as a fortified administrative center.[8]: 134 Another large settlement existed atNorşuntepe, although it was unfortified during this period.[8]: 134 The local population was at least partly Urartian; there may have also been members of theMushki people present.[8]: 134–5
The ancient towns at Harput and Norşuntepe dispersed around theAchaemenid period.[8]: 137 From then until the foundation of Arsamosata in the mid-3rd century BCE, theAltınova plain had no large towns.[8]: 136–7 Arsamosata may have been founded as a display of prestige.[8]: 136 Its original population was probably mostly drawn from the surrounding villages.[8]: 137 Its location was probably chosen because its distance from the region's main route, which came through theErgani pass toTomisa further west, made it relatively safe from attack.[8]: 136 However, being off the main trade route also meant that Arsamosata was not a major commercial center during this period.[8]: 136 Its economy was mostly based on agriculture instead.[8]: 136
In late antiquity, Arsamosata formed one of the main settlements in the district ofAnzitene.[8]: 139 The nearby city ofDadima appears to have grown due to commerce from Ergani and Tomisa by the late 6th century, probably absorbing some of Arsamosata's population.[8]: 140 However, Arsamosata remained a major city with a mixed population of Armenians and Assyrians.[8]: 140
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.[8]: 144–5 Many of its residents moved to Arsamosata, which was in a safer position further east.[8]: 144–5 Some ofMelitene's population probably moved to Arsamosata at this point as well.[8]: 145 With Dadima's decline, Arsamosata was now the lone major city in the region.[8]: 144
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 emperorTheophilos captured Arsamosata along with Melitene.[6]: 256 By autumn 938 the city was back under Arab control - theHamdanid amirSayf 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 smalltheme.[8]: 149 [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 theArtukid principality of Harput, but it was no longer a major city.[8]: 152 It survived until at least 1199, when its bishopric is last attested, and probably continued into the early 13th century as well.[8]: 152 WhenYaqut al-Hamawi visited Arsamosata in the early 13th century, he found it "in ruins, with only a tiny population".[7] The citadel garrison was eventually withdrawn at some point, possibly after the Seljuk conquest of Anzitene in 1234, and Arsamosata was finally abandoned.[8]: 152 Its population dispersed to villages on the surrounding plain and in the hills beyond.[8]: 112, 152 [note 3]
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 theKeban Dam, the city ruins (below the citadel) were already underwater due to the meandering of theMurat Su, and by the mid-20th century not much of them remained visible. However, one traveler reported seeing somekhachkars here.[8]: 112–3 Archaeologists conducted excavations at the citadel before the dam was built, in 1969, 1970, and 1973.[8]: 113 They dug six trenches, mostly on the southeast side of the hill where walls were already visible.[8]: 113
Arsamosata was historically the seat of aSyriac Orthodox bishop which was responsible for the entire surrounding district of Anzitene.[8]: 140 Its last mention is in 1199.[8]: 152
No longer a residential bishopric, Arsamosata is today listed by theCatholic Church as atitular see.[11][12]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Armosota".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
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38°39′39″N39°30′39″E / 38.6609°N 39.5109°E /38.6609; 39.5109
