Arsinoe (Cilicia)

Arsinoe (Ancient Greek: Ἀρσινόη) was a city on the coast of ancient Cilicia between Anemurium and Kelenderis; the site is near the modern city of Bozyazı, Mersin Province, Turkey. Strabo[1] mentions Arsinoe as having a port. In the 19th century, William Martin Leake placed it at or near the ruined modern castle, called Softa Kalesi (Sokhta Kálesi), just west of Bozyazı, below which is a port, such as Strabo describes at Arsinoe, and a peninsula on the east side of the harbor covered with ruins.[2] This modern site is east of Anemurium, and west of, and near to, Kızil Burnu (Cape Kizliman).[3]

The city was founded by Aetos, a Strategos of king, Ptolemy Philadelphus, and named for Arsinoe II of Egypt, the sister and wife of Ptolemy.[4] The city of Nagidos, on whose territory Arsinoe was founded, initially protested against the new foundation. The conflict was resolved by declaring Arsinoe the daughter city of Nagidos.[5][6] See Nagidos#The Hellenistic period and the foundation of Arsinoe.

The site of Arsinoe is located near modern an archaeological site named Maraş Harabeleri about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) east of Bozyazı in Anatolia.[7][8]

  1. ^ p. 670.
  2. ^ Asia Minor, p. 201.
  3. ^ Francis Beaufort, Karamania.
  4. ^ Pfeiffer, Stefan: Griechische und lateinische Inschriften zum Ptolemäerreich und zur römischen Provinz Aegyptus. Münster: Lit, 2015, p. 92.
  5. ^ Chaniotis, Angelos (1993). "Ein diplomatischer Statthalter nimmt Rücksicht auf den verletzten Stolz zweier hellenistischer Kleinpoleis (Nagidos und Arsinoe)." In: Epigraphica Anatolica, vol. 21, pp. 33–42.
  6. ^ Pfeiffer, Stefan: Griechische und lateinische Inschriften zum Ptolemäerreich und zur römischen Provinz Aegyptus. Münster: Lit, 2015, pp. 91–99.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Lund University. Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire.