Mallus (Greek:η ΜαλλόςMallos;ethnonym: Μαλλώτης) was an ancient city ofCilicia Campestris (laterCilicia Prima) lying near the mouth of thePyramus (now theCeyhan Nehri) river, inAnatolia. In ancient times, the city was situated at the mouth of the Pyramus (which has changed course since), on a hill oppositeMagarsa (or Magarsus) which served as its port. The district was named after it,Mallotis. The location of the site is currently inland a few km from theMediterranean coast on an elevation in theKarataş Peninsula,Adana Province,Turkey, a few km from the city of Karataş.[1]
Greek legend credited the establishment of Mallus to twoArgive brothers named Amphilochus andMopsus. Amphilochus is variously described as the king and seer who wasthe son of Amphiaraus and the brother ofAlcmaeon;Alcmaeon's son; or, inStrabo, either of these figures understood as ademigod son ofApollo.[2] Both Amphiaraus's son and Alcmaeon's son were in the generations said to have witnessed theTrojan War. Amphilochus and Mopsus were said to have left that conflict and founded Mallus[3] and some otheroracles and towns before either returning toArgos or killing one another. Visitors to the oracle, which continued as late asPlutarch, slept overnight in the temple and theirdreams were considered to be the gods' answer to their questions.[4]
Alexander the Great erected a bridge over the Pyramus and visited Mallus during his conquest of the region, and at Mallus he performed sacrifices to Amphilochus.[1][5] Alexander also exempted the town from paying taxes, because it was a colony of the Argives, and he himself claimed to have sprung from Argos, being one of the descendants ofHeracles.[6][1][7]
Triremes from Mallus joined Alexander's navy and participated at theSiege of Tyre.[8]
It allied itself withTarsus againstAntiochus IV Epiphanes, who according to theApocrypha, had presented both cities to his concubineAntiochis.[1][9] Mallus was a town of considerable importance, though it does not appear to have possessed any particular attractions.[10] In the second century B.C., it was the hometown of the notable philosopher and grammarianCrates of Mallus, credited with having built the first knownglobe; however, he left the city at a young age and his scholarly career mainly took place elsewhere.
Its port-town wasMagarsa, though in later times it seems to have had a port of its own, calledPortus Palorum.[11] Numerous coins from Mallus have been preserved, and those of the third century bear the inscriptionMallus Colonia orColonia Metropolis Mallus. The city is mentioned by numerous ancient authors, and in the Middle Ages byArabian,Armenian, andItalian writers. The city declined in importance and disappeared with the ArmenianKingdom of Cilicia.[1] The ancient site ofAntiochia ad Pyramum lies a few km away on the coast.
Mallus figures in the various revisions of the AntiocheneNotitiae Episcopatuum as suffragan of Tarsus. Sixbishops are recorded. Bematius, present at theCouncil of Antioch (377); Valentine, present at theFirst Council of Ephesus (431) and theCouncil of Tarsus (434); Chrysippus at theCouncil of Chalcedon (451).[1] The see is included in theCatholic Church's list oftitular sees.[12] Notitular bishop of the see has been appointed since the death of its last bishop in 1990.[13]
A bishopric is mentioned in the Antiochene "Notititae Episcopatuum" as suffragan of the patriarchate of Antioch and was suffragan of the archdiocese of Tarsus.[19][20] Six bishops are known:[21][22][23]
Today it survives only as aTitular See ofRoman Catholic Church.[25][26]
The precise location of Mallus has been the subject of some study.Quintus Curtius[27] states that Alexander entered the town after throwing a bridge across the Pyramus, implying that Pyramus must have been situated near the mouth of the river Pyramus, on the eastern bank, opposite to Megarsus (modernKarataş). According toScylax (p. 40) it was necessary to sail up the river a short distance in order to reach Mallus; andPomponius Mela (i.13) also states that the town is situated close upon the river; whence Ptolemy (v.8.4) must be mistaken in placing it more than two miles away from the river.[10]
Mallus is commonly believed to be in the town ofKızıltahta,Adana Province. The nearby town ofTerkosan is mentioned being its necropolis.[28] The city's location at Kızıltahta has been extrapolated by reference to the ancient sources.Stadiasmus indicates that Mallus was 150 stades away from Megarsus (Megarsus is identified to be modern Karataş).[29] One stadia equals 600 feet and 150 stades is 27.4 km. When this distance is measured from Karataş within a 1:100,000 scale map of Turkey, the city's location is in the periphery of Kızıltahta.[30]
Attribution
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Pétridès, Sophron (1910). "Mallus". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company. (endnotes: Smith 1857, "Mallus"; and others)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1857)."Mallus".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. Vol. 2. London: John Murray. p. 256.36°45′27″N35°29′12″E / 36.7575°N 35.4868°E /36.7575; 35.4868