Anchiale (Ancient Greek:Ἀγχιάλη) orAnchialeia was a historic city ofancient Cilicia now a part of modernMersin,Turkey. It was inhabited during theHellenistic,Roman, andByzantine eras.
The main informant about Anchiale wasStrabo. According to Strabo the city had been constructed bySardanapalus, the last king ofAssyria. Strabo further claims that Sardanapalus' tomb is in Anchiale. The city was conquered byAlexander the Great just before thebattle of Issus.
Some mythology traditions posit aneponymous ruler with the same name founded the city.
The exact location of Anchiale is debatable.[1] Like most historians British captainFrancis Beaufort identifies Anchiale with Karaduvar, now a neighbourhood of Mersin at36°48′35″N34°41′58″E / 36.80972°N 34.69944°E /36.80972; 34.69944. But he adds that the amount of ruins in Karaduvar is too few for an important ancient city.[2]
As Beaufort points out there are only a few ruins. There are atumulus, several house ruins and an aqueduct from the original city. Bath mosaic is from Roman times.[3]
36°48′04″N34°36′15″E / 36.80123°N 34.60406°E /36.80123; 34.60406
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