Sozopolis in Pisidia (Ancient Greek:Σωζόπολις της Πισιδίας), which had been calledApollonia (Ἀπολλωνία) andApollonias (Ἀπολλωνίας)[1] duringSeleucid times, was a town in the formerRoman province ofPisidia, and is not to be confused with the ThracianSozopolis in Haemimonto in present-dayBulgaria. Its site may correspond to present-dayUluborlu inIsparta Province,Turkey.[2]
Sozopolis in Pisidia must have been situated in the border region of that province, since some ancient accounts place it inPhrygia.[3] Whereas older source locate it "Souzon, south of Aglasoun".,[4] modern scholars locate its site nearUluborlu,Isparta Province.[5][6]
Stephanus of Byzantium says that Apollonia in Pisidia (Sozopolis) was originally calledMordiaeon orMordiaïon (Μορδιάιον), and was celebrated for its quinces.[7][8] The coins of Apollonia recordAlexander the Great as the founder, and also the name of a stream that flowed; by it, theHippopharas.[9][10] Two Greek inscriptions of the Roman period copied byFrancis Arundell give the full title of the town in that age, "the Boule and Demus of the Apolloniatae Lycii Thraces Coloni," by which he concluded that the city was founded by a Thracian colony established inLycia, but that conclusion is not universally accepted.[9]
Fragments of theRes Gestae Divi Augusti in Greek have been found in the area.
Sozopolis in Pisidia was the birthplace ofSeverus of Antioch (born around 456).[11]
Theicon of theTheotokos of Pisidian Sozopolis, celebrated byEastern Orthodox Christians on 3 September, originated in this city.[12] As many other places in the region, the townvenerated especially theArchangelMichael and had a church dedicated to him.[13]
Sozopolis sent itsbishop and possibly two other representatives to theCouncil of Constantinople in 381,[3] and its bishop attended theCouncil of Ephesus in 431.[14]
The see is included in theCatholic Church's list oftitular sees.[2]
Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Apollonia".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray. This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Apollonia".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
Authority control databases: Geographic |
|---|
38°04′21″N30°28′14″E / 38.072539°N 30.470512°E /38.072539; 30.470512