Where is pisidia

Antioch was now for the first time correctly described as a city "of Pisidia," although there is reason to believe that the term "Pisidia" had already been extended northward in popular usage to include part at least of the Phrygian region of Galatia. This perhaps explains the reading "Antioch of Pisidia" in the Codex Bezae, whose readings usually reflect the conditions of the 2nd century of our era in Asia Minor.

This use of the term was of course political and administrative; Antioch continued to be a city of Phrygia in the ethnical sense and a recently discovered inscription proves that the Phrygian language was spoken in the neighborhood of Antioch as late as the 3rd century of our era see also Calder in Journal of Roman Studies, , Paul in Pisidia: Paul crossed Pisidia on the journey from Perga to Antioch referred to in Acts , and again on the return journey, Acts Of those journeys no details are recorded in Acts, but it has been suggested by Conybeare and Howson that the "perils of rivers" and "perils of robbers" mentioned by Paul in 2 Corinthians refer to his journeys across Pisidia, and Ramsay has pointed out in confirmation of this view that a considerable number of Pisidian inscriptions refer to the armed policemen and soldiers who kept the peace in this region, while others refer to a conflict with robbers, or to an escape from drowning in a river The Church in the Roman Empire, 23 f; compare Journal of Roman Studies, , Adada, a city off Paul's route from Perga to Antioch, is called by the Turks Kara Baulo; "Baulo" is the Turkish pronunciation of "Paulos," and the name is doubtless reminiscent of an early tradition connecting the city with Paul.

Pisidia had remained unaffected by Hellenic civilization, and the Roman occupation at the time of Paul was purely military. It is therefore unlikely that Paul preached in Pisidia. Its walls were rebuilt to surround a smaller area, and the deterioration in quality of the building materials is further evidence of decline. The city can be traced up to the end of the 12th century AD, but was finally abandoned entirely when the settlement of Yalvac was established in the second half of the 13th century.

In those last years of its existence two important events put Pisidian Antioch on the map of history once more. The first was the arrival of the crusader army, which took refuse here after its defeat by the Seljuks at Eskisehir in The second was the battle of Miryakefalon between the Byzantines and Turkish Seljuks, which took place just outside the city in Excavations at Pisidian Antioch were resumed in and revealed the remains of many important buildings dating from the Roman and subsequent eras of this important Christian and commercial center.

One of these finds was the foundations of the city portal built as a monument commemorating the victory of the Roman emperor Septimus Severus over the Parthians. This was a triple gate with four pylons, one at either side and two in the center.

On a rocky outcrop at the highest point of the city Emperor Augustus built the Augustus Temple which was dedicated to the mother goddess Cybele Kybele. This remarkable building with unique architectural features was used as an open air church around AD. The church dedicated to Saint Paul stands on the west side of the city and was its largest church. The auditorium of the theatre rests on a hillside, so only the highest rows of seats required additional support system of arches and vaults.

The theatre was built in the Hellenistic period, and from the discovered inscription it is known that the building underwent renovation and expansion in the years - CE. Apparently, a pupil of St. Paul, Tekla, was thrown to the wild animals in this theatre. Decumanus Maximus street, ascending the hill, leads to the Tiberius Square lat.

Tiberia Platea , located in front of a monumental gate, leading to the Temple of Augustus. The Tiberius Square is a rectangle with sides 30 and 70 meters long.

Its construction is dated to the years CE. The central location and the proximity to the temple suggest that the square was the heart of urban life in Antioch. Archaeological work has shown that along the sides of the square there were grocery stores, restaurants, and bars. In this location, archaeologists unearthed plates, cups, kitchen utensils, and hundreds of coins. The inscription in the shape of a shield, found in front of a monumental gate, announces that Aedile Titus Baebius Asiaticus paid from his own pocket for the paving of two major roads and the Tiberius Square.

A monumental gate or a propylon leading to the Shrine of Imperial Cult, was located at the end of the Tiberius Square. The gate stood on a podium, which was accessed by a flight of twelve steps. As in the case of the western gate, the propylon of the Temple of Augustus also had the form of a triple triumphal arch, supported by columns in the Corinthian order. The central arch of the gate was 4. Above the arches, there was a bas-relief depicting prisoners of war, the goddess of victory Nike, and Eros - the god of love.

The propylon was built in honour of Emperor Augustus. The inscription placed above the central arch, lined with bronze letters, proclaimed, "For the Emperor Caesar Augustus, son of a god, Pontifex Maximus, consul for the 13th time, with tribunician power for the 22nd time, imperator for the 14th time, father of the country". During the excavations conducted in the area of the propylon, researchers discovered tables containing the autobiography of the first Roman emperor, Octavian Augustus, known as Res Gestae Divi Augusti.

The most famous version of the text was found in the Temple of Augustus in Ankara, and the version from Antioch is one of two found in the area of Phrygia and Pisidia. The second text was found in the ancient Apollonia. The Temple of Augustus , also known as the Imperial Sanctuary, was built at the highest point of the city.

Its foundations were dug in the rock, and the temple was built on a podium with a height of 2. Twelve steps lead into the temple. The podium had dimensions of 26 to 15 meters. The vestibule decorated with four columns in the Corinthian order led into the interior of the temple led. The cella, that is the most important room of the temple, had a plan close to a square with sides about 11 meters long. It was decorated with friezes carved with garlands and leaves.

Behind the temple, there was a two-storey gallery carved in the rock wall. Its first storey was decorated with a colonnade in the Doric order, and the second floor had a colonnade of the Ionic order. The researchers speculate that the ground floor of the gallery served the residents of the city as a place for walks and exchange of ideas. Opposite the Tiberius Square, on the other side of Cardo Maximus road, stand the ruins of the central church.

The building was called this way by the researchers, because of its position in the city. A Scottish archaeologist, William Mitchell Ramsay, who spent 50 years studying the historical geography of Asia Minor, published in an article devoted to Pisidian Antioch.

He suggested that a small apse, located on the southern side of this church, belonged to an earlier church, built in the place of the synagogue where St. Paul preached. Ramsay found an iron seal bearing the names of the three martyrs of the reign of Emperor Diocletian: Neon, Nikon, and Heliodorus, on the premises of the church.

The central church, now also known as the Church of St. Bassus, was probably built in the 4th century. In , when we visited Antioch of Pisidia, further walk down Cardo Maximus street was not possible due to ongoing excavations.

In , archaeologists announced the discovery of a three-aisled basilica , located on the eastern side of the road. Its floor was lined with marble slabs, and the walls were covered with frescoes depicting Christian symbols and geometric patterns. This church was built in the place where previously stood the temple from the period of Antonine dynasty, that is in the 2nd century CE. Cardo Maximus street ends at the monumental fountain or nymphaeum.

The modest remains of this building indicate that it was built on the U plan. The water was brought from the mountains via the system of aqueducts. From the area near the nymphaeum extends an excellent view of the valley, with a long and well-preserved aqueduct. From the area of the nymphaeum, a narrow path goes in the north-western direction. It leads to one of the best-preserved buildings in Antioch, often described as the Roman baths.

The building occupies an area measuring 80 to 55 meters. Only seven of its numerous rooms have been excavated. Most probably, it was erected in the first century CE. In fact, it is not certain whether this building was a bath or served an entirely different purpose. The doubts of the researchers result from the location of the entrance and the lack of significant traces of heating system and water distribution in the building.

Perhaps, the fragments preserved to our days were only foundations of a larger building, as in the case of the substructure of the Temple of Trajan on the acropolis of Pergamon. On the eastern side of the building, there are traces of another church. It is known as the northern church. It was a three-nave basilica with a length of 42 meters and a width of The building has been preserved to the level of the stylobate that is the top layer of its stone base.

Therefore, the exact appearance of the whole building it unknown. The most significant fragment visible is the main apse of the temple. In the southern nave, small fragments of a mosaic floor have been found.

It is known that capitals of the columns obtained from older buildings were used for the construction of the church. On the basis of comparison with other churches from the area of Antioch, researchers speculate that this basilica was erected at the earliest at the end of the 6th century. From the area of the northern church, the path leads to the south-west, to another church, known as the Great Basilica or the Church of St.

The building was also a three-nave basilica with a semicircular apse. From the outside, the apse was surrounded by a hexagonal wall. The main nave was separated from the aisles by the rows of 13 columns on hexagonal bases.

The building had dimensions of 70 to 27 meters. It also had a vestibule, measuring 27 to 13 meters, supported on the city walls. The floor of the central nave was covered with a mosaic depicting floral and geometric motifs, in yellow, red, white, and black colours. The mosaic also reveals the name of the archbishop Optimus, who represented the Antioch of Pisidia at the First Council of Constantinople in On this basis, the researchers determined the approximate date of construction of the church at the end of the 4th century.

Therefore, the Great Basilica is one of the earliest examples of monumental churches in Anatolia. It is also known that the church underwent renovation in the fifth or sixth century. Ancient aqueduct is located outside the area of the archaeological site. To see it closely, walk or drive the distance of 1. To our times, 19 arches of the aqueduct have been preserved.

In the 19th century, 21 of them were still visible. In ancient times, the aqueduct supplied water to the city from a distance of 10 km and the altitude of 1, meters above the sea level. It consisted of a series of bridges, tunnels and syphons. Its daily capacity was estimated at 3, cubic meters. It was probably destroyed by an earthquake in the sixth century CE.

About 3.