Augusta (Cilicia)

Augusta (Ancient Greek: Αὔγουστα[1] or Αὐγοῦστα[2]) was a town in the interior of ancient Cilicia, inhabited during Roman and Byzantine times.[3] It was founded in 20 AD and named after Livia, the widow of the Emperor Augustus.[4] Ptolemy places this town in a district named Bryelice. The town also bore the name Augustopolis, and possibly Thebae.[2]

The city probably lost its position as an important center after the Muslim invasion of Cilicia in the 7th century.[4]

Its site is located near Gübe in Asiatic Turkey.[5][2]

In 431 Tarianus, Bishop of Augusta represented the town at the Council of Ephesus.[6][7]

The ancient city, was flooded due to Seyhan Dam in 1955.[8][4] Before it disappeared under the waters of the dam the researchers managed to partially survey the site and record some buildings of the city. Among these were the foundations of a triumphal arch, two colonnaded streets crossing each other, a theater, a civic basilica, some shops, a bath building and a dam on the river.[4]

  1. ^ Stephanus of Byzantium. Ethnica. Vol. s.v.
  2. ^ a b c Lund University. Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire.
  3. ^ Pliny. Naturalis Historia. Vol. 5.27.
  4. ^ a b c d The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, AUGUSTA Cilicia Campestris, Turkey
  5. ^ Richard Talbert, ed. (2000). Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. Princeton University Press. p. 66, and directory notes accompanying. ISBN 978-0-691-03169-9.
  6. ^ John Fulton, Index Canonum: The Greek Text, an English Translation, and a Complete Digest of the Entire Code of Canon Law of the Undivided Primitive Church (Wipf and Stock Publishers, 16 Sep 2014 page 151.
  7. ^ Charles Joseph Hefele, A History of the Councils of the Church: from the Original Documents, to the close of the Second Council of Nicaea A.D. 787 (Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1 Feb 2007) page 58.
  8. ^ Ancient city comes to light as water recedes