Ελαιούσα Σεβαστή | |
 Theatre in Elaiussa Sebaste | |
  Elaiussa Sebaste Shown within Turkey | |
| Alternative name | Elaeousa Sebaste |
|---|---|
| Location | Mersin Province,Turkey |
| Region | Cilicia |
| Coordinates | 36°29′01″N34°10′25″E / 36.483624°N 34.173725°E /36.483624; 34.173725 |
| Type | Settlement |
| History | |
| Founded | 2nd century BCE |
| Cultures | Cappadocian,Roman,Byzantine |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | In ruins |
Elaiussa Sebaste orElaeousa Sebaste (Greek:Ελαιούσα Σεβαστή) was an ancientRoman town located 55 km (34 mi) fromMersin in the direction ofSilifke inCilicia on the southern coast ofAnatolia (in the modern-day town ofAyaş, Erdemli District inTurkey).
Elaiussa (Ελαιούσα), derives from the word elaion (ἔλαιον), meaning oil in Greek (Elaiussa had many olive trees).[1] It was founded in the 2nd century BC on a tiny island attached to the mainland by a narrow isthmus in theMediterranean Sea.
Besides the cultivation of olives, the settlement here of theCappadocian kingArchelaus during the reign of the Roman EmperorAugustus played a role in the development of the city. Founding a new city on the isthmus, Archelaus called it Sebaste, which is theGreek equivalent word of theLatin "Augusta". The city entered a golden age when the Roman EmperorVespasian purgedCilicia of pirates in 74AD. Towards the end of the 3rd century AD, however, its importance began to wane, owing in large part to incursions by theSassanian KingShapur I in 260 and later by theIsaurians. The ancient sources tell the history of city's existence and how the churches and basilicas survived into the late Roman and earlyByzantine periods. When its neighborCorycus began to flourish in the 6th century AD, Elaiussa Sebaste was slowly obliterated from the stage of history.
The island that was the site of the first settlement here, where excavations have been underway since 1995 headed byItalianarcheologist Eugenia Equini Schneider, is almost completely buried under sand. The original settlement, at a location that provided security for the harbors on either side, is a peninsula today. The ruins of a bath, acistern, a defense wall and a breakwater can be seen on the side overlooking the western bay of the peninsula. But the most important remains unearthed in the city are a bath whose floor is paved with mosaics and a small basilica on a circular base.
On the opposite side of the highwayD.400 that divides Elaiussa and Sebaste today stands a theater dating to the 2nd century AD, an extremely small structure with only 23 rows of seats, whose steps and decorations succumbed to centuries of plunder. Next to the theater is theagora, built in all great probability during the imperial period. At the entrance of the agora, which is surrounded by a semi-destroyed defense wall once rose two monumental fountains in the shape of lions. Inside the agora stands a large church, its floor is covered by sand to protect the mosaic pavement. Elaiussa's only temple stands outside the city on a hill overlooking the sea. Only two of theCorinthian columns of this temple, which had twelve on the long and six on the short side originally, are standing today. A large bath complex among the lemon groves between the temple and the agora was built by a technique characteristic of the ancient Roman period and little used in Anatolia.
The ruins of Elaiussa Sebaste also harbor the richest and most impressivenecropolis among the cities of ancient Cilicia. The "Avenue of Graves", located on a hill to the north of the city, preserves close to a hundred graves of various shapes and sizes scattered among the lemon trees. The aesthetic forms of these monumental graves of Cilicia Tracheia are remarkable.
The ancient aqueducts that carried water to the ruins from the Lamos ("Lemon") river also adorn the city's two entrances. The aqueduct to the west of the city in particular is in relatively good condition. Centuries ago these aqueducts formed a canal system that ran all the way to Corycus.
A liddedsarcophagus lies on a small rise exactly opposite the aqueduct. Known as "the Grave of the Princess", this sarcophagus is a prime example of the Anatolian tomb tradition.
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