Dalisandus orDalisandos (Ancient Greek:Δαλισανδός) was an ancient city and bishopric in easternPamphylia,[1] inAsia Minor (Anatolia, Asian Turkey) and remains a Latintitular see.
Although some sources place the ancient settlement near Lake Seydişehir,[2] various other studies suggest different locations. The exact site of the ancient city of Dalisandos has long been a subject of scholarly debate. HistorianW. M. Ramsay initially proposed the village of Fasıllar nearBeyşehir as the site,[3] but later revised his view, suggesting instead that Dalisandos was located inSeydişehir.[4]
In antiquity, Dalisandos served as a key junction and strategic connection point between the regions ofLycaonia andIsauria. Today, the city is commonly identified with the modern village of Belören (also known asSarıoğlan) in theBozkır district ofKonya Province.[5] This ancient settlement was continuously inhabited from theEarly Bronze Age onward and retained its significance during theHellenistic andRoman periods. The location of Sarıoğlan Höyük[6] played a vital role as a crossroads linkingCentral Anatolia, theMediterranean, andWestern Anatolia.[5]
British archaeologistDavid Henry French identified Dalisandos as a border city between Isauria and Lycaonia, and a member of theKoinon Lykaonon (Lycaonian League). The city minted its own coins during the reigns ofRoman EmperorsMarcus Aurelius,Lucius Verus,Faustina the Younger,Philippus I, andPhilippus II. These coins indicate that Dalisandos was one of six major cities—along with Derbe (Kerti Höyük), Hyde (Gölören), Ilistra (Yollarbaşı), Barata (Madenşehir), and Laranda (Karaman)—that formed the core of the league.[7][8][9]
This Dalisandus is not mentioned in theSynecdemus, which does mention anotherDalisandus in Isauria. However, it is included in theNotitiae Episcopatuum of thePatriarchate of Constantinople as asuffragan see ofSide, the capital of the lateRoman province ofPamphylia Prima.[10][11]
No longer a residential bishopric, Dalisandus in Pamphylia is today listed by theCatholic Church as a Latintitular bishopric[2] since the diocese was nominally restored in 1933.
It is vacant for decades, having had the following incumbents of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank:[12]