View source for Arsamosata

{{short description|Ancient city in Sophene on the Murat River}}
{{distinguish|Samosata}}
'''Arsamosata''' ([[Middle Persian]]: *{{lang|pal-Latn|Aršāmšād}}, [[Old Persian]]: *{{lang|peo-Latn|Ṛšāma-šiyāti-}}, {{langx|grc|Ἀρσαμόσατα}}, {{Langx|hy|Արշամաշատ|Aršamašat}}) was an ancient and medieval city situated on the bank of the [[Murat River]] (called the Arsanias in classical sources), near the present-day city of [[Elazığ]]. It was founded in {{circa|240 BC}} by [[Arsames I]],{{sfn|Canepa|2018|p=110}} the [[Orontid dynasty|Orontid]] king of [[Kingdom of Sophene|Sophene]], [[Commagene]] and possibly [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|Armenia]].{{sfn|Marciak|2017|p=123}} The city served as a central center and royal residence of the Orontids of Sophene. The origin of its name is [[Old Persian|Persian]], meaning "Joy of Arsames".{{sfn|Canepa|2018|p=110}} Naming cities such as the "joy of" or "happiness of" was an Orontid (and later [[Artaxiad]]) practice that recalled the [[Achaemenid]] royal discourse.{{sfn|Canepa|2021|p=82}}

It was left and destroyed in the 1st century BC. In the Middle Ages, it was called Ashmushat. In Roman and Byzantine times, it bore the names '''Armosota''' (Ἀρμόσοτα)<ref>{{Cite Polybius|8.25}}</ref> and '''Arsamosota''' (Ἀρσαμόσοτα).<ref>{{Cite Ptolemy|5.13}}</ref> It was also known in Byzantine times as '''Asmosaton'''.<ref name="Howard-Johnston 2006"/>{{rp|247}} It was called '''Shimshat''' in Arabic.<ref name="Bosworth 1997"/> A prominent native of Arsamosata was the 10th-century poet [[Abu'l-Hasan Ali al-Shimshati]].<ref name="Bosworth 1997">{{cite book |last1=Bosworth |first1=C.E. |editor1-last=Bosworth |editor1-first=C.E. |editor2-last=van Donzel |editor2-first=E. |editor3-last=Heinrichs |editor3-first=W.P. |editor4-last=Lecomte |editor4-first=G. |title=The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Vol. IX (SAN-SZE) |date=1997 |publisher=Brill |location=Leiden |isbn=90-04-10422-4 |page=442 |url=https://ia600603.us.archive.org/14/items/EncyclopaediaDictionaryIslamMuslimWorldEtcGibbKramerScholars.13/09.EncycIslam.NewEdPrepNumLeadOrient.EdEdComCon.BosDonHeinLec.etc.UndPatIUA.v9.San-Sze.Leid.EJBrill.1997..pdf |access-date=13 June 2022 |chapter=Shimshāṭ}}</ref>

Arsamosata has been identified with the abandoned settlement site known as '''Haraba''', <ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|112}}<ref>{{Cite DARE|21237}}</ref><ref>{{Cite Barrington|89}}</ref> located by the Murat River, near the east end of the [[Altınova plain]], some 60&nbsp;km east of Elazig,.<ref name="Howard-Johnston 2006">{{cite book |last1=Howard-Johnston |first1=James |title=East Rome, Sasanian Persia and the End of Antiquity |date=2006 |publisher=Ashgate |isbn=0-86078-992-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1U4rUaLdYnQC |access-date=25 July 2022}}</ref> Much of the site now lies submerged under the waters of the [[Keban Dam]]. The hill that served as the former city's citadel now juts out toward the northeast into a shallow lake created by the dam.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|112}} The city itself appears to have been just below the hill on the southeast, although this is not entirely certain.<ref name="Sinclair 1989">{{cite book |last1=Sinclair |first1=T.A. |title=Eastern Turkey: An Architectural & Archaeological Survey, Volume III |date=1989 |publisher=Pindar Press |isbn=0907132340 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Na1EBAAAQBAJ |accessdate=29 July 2022}}</ref>{{rp|112}}

== History ==
Limited archaeological evidence, consisting of a few pottery finds that strongly resemble [[Urartu|Urartian]] ceramics, point to the existence of a settlement at Arsamosata in ancient times—perhaps between the 10th and 7th centuries BCE.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|113}} However, any settlement here was probably not very significant.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|134}} The main Urartian settlement in the region was at [[Harput]], which seems to have served as a fortified administrative center.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|134}} Another large settlement existed at [[Norşuntepe]], although it was unfortified during this period.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|134}} The local population was at least partly Urartian; there may have also been members of the [[Mushki]] people present.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|134-5}}

The ancient towns at Harput and Norşuntepe dispersed around the [[Achaemenid]] period.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|137}} From then until the foundation of Arsamosata in the mid-3rd century BCE, the [[Altınova plain]] had no large towns.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|136-7}} Arsamosata may have been founded as a display of prestige.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|136}} Its original population was probably mostly drawn from the surrounding villages.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|137}} Its location was probably chosen because its distance from the region's main route, which came through the [[Ergani pass]] to [[Tomisa]] further west, made it relatively safe from attack.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|136}} However, being off the main trade route also meant that Arsamosata was not a major commercial center during this period.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|136}} Its economy was mostly based on agriculture instead.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|136}}

In late antiquity, Arsamosata formed one of the main settlements in the district of [[Anzitene]].<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|139}} The nearby city of [[Dadima]] appears to have grown due to commerce from Ergani and Tomisa by the late 6th century, probably absorbing some of Arsamosata's population.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|140}} However, Arsamosata remained a major city with a mixed population of Armenians and Assyrians.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|140}}

Later, in the period after the Arab conquest, Dadima shrank to a small town, probably because it was close to the Arab-Byzantine border and therefore prone to attack.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|144-5}} Many of its residents moved to Arsamosata, which was in a safer position further east.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|144-5}} Some of [[Melitene]]'s population probably moved to Arsamosata at this point as well.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|145}} With Dadima's decline, Arsamosata was now the lone major city in the region.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|144}} 

However, despite its more secure position, Arsamosata still lay in a contested region and it changed hands several times during this period.<ref name="Bosworth 1997"/> A Byzantine offensive in 837 led by the emperor [[Theophilos (emperor)|Theophilos]] captured Arsamosata along with Melitene.<ref name="Howard-Johnston 2006"/>{{rp|256}} By autumn 938 the city was back under Arab control - the [[Hamdanid dynasty|Hamdanid]] amir [[Sayf al-Dawla]] retreated toward Arsamosata that autumn while being pursued by Byzantine forces.<ref name="Howard-Johnston 2006"/>{{rp|270}}<ref name="Bosworth 1997"/> In 939, according to James Howard-Johnston, Arsamosata fell to the Byzantines again.<ref name="Howard-Johnston 2006"/>{{rp|248}}{{refn|group=note|An alternate chronology, proposed by Canard, has Arsamosata surrendering to the Byzantines shortly after they took Melitene in 934, then being recaptured by the Arabs in 938, and finally coming under Byzantine control again in 944.<ref name="Howard-Johnston 2006"/>{{rp|270}} Howard-Johnston argues against this, saying that [[John Kourkouas]]'s siege of [[Erzurum|Theodosiopolis]] in 940 would not have made sense strategically unless Arsamosata had already been secured.<ref name="Howard-Johnston 2006"/>{{rp|270}}}}

After the Byzantine conquest, Arsamosata was made the capital of a small [[theme (Byzantine district)|theme]].<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|149}}{{refn|group=note|This happened by 951–2, since the ''[[De administrando imperio]]'' - which was written that year - includes Arsamosata in its list of themes.<ref name="Howard-Johnston 2006"/>{{rp|270}}}} This theme probably only covered the immediately surrounding plains to the north and east; i.e. the easternmost part of Anzitene.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|149}} In the 970s, the theme of Arsamosata was broken up.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|149}} Arsamosata shrank to a medium-sized town and some of its population probably migrated to Harput, the new main capital of the region.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|149}} A garrison was still kept at Arsamosata's citadel, but the town walls were probably now too big for the dwindling settlement within and must have fallen into disuse.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|149, 152}} 

Arsamosata still existed under the [[Artukid]] principality of Harput, but it was no longer a major city.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|152}} It survived until at least 1199, when its bishopric is last attested, and probably continued into the early 13th century as well.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|152}} When [[Yaqut al-Hamawi]] visited Arsamosata in the early 13th century, he found it "in ruins, with only a tiny population".<ref name="Bosworth 1997"/> The citadel garrison was eventually withdrawn at some point, possibly after the Seljuk conquest of Anzitene in 1234, and Arsamosata was finally abandoned.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|152}} Its population dispersed to villages on the surrounding plain and in the hills beyond.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|112, 152}}{{refn|group=note|It's not clear if the people leaving Arsamosata founded new villages in the area or if they simply migrated to already existing ones.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|112}}}}

The name "Arsamosata" continued to be used until modern times, to denote a group of several villages near where the old city had once stood.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|112}} As of the 20th century, there were seven of them, collectively known as "Arşimşat" (from the Arabic form of the city's name).<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|112}} The closest one to the old city was Haraba (from Arabic "kharaba", meaning "ruin"), about half a kilometer to the southwest of the ruins.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|112}} A local tradition recorded around the turn of the 20th century held that there had once been a large city here, divided into two parts called "Samusat" and "Ashmushat".<ref name="Howard-Johnston 2006"/>{{rp|270}}

Even before the construction of the [[Keban Dam]], the city ruins (below the citadel) were already underwater due to the meandering of the [[Murat Su]], and by the mid-20th century not much of them remained visible. However, one traveler reported seeing some [[khachkar]]s here.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|112-3}} Archaeologists conducted excavations at the citadel before the dam was built, in 1969, 1970, and 1973.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|113}} They dug six trenches, mostly on the southeast side of the hill where walls were already visible.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|113}}

== Bishopric ==
Arsamosata was historically the seat of a [[Syriac Orthodox]] bishop which was responsible for the entire surrounding district of Anzitene.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|140}} Its last mention is in 1199.<ref name="Sinclair 1989"/>{{rp|152}}

No longer a residential bishopric, Arsamosata is today listed by the [[Catholic Church]] as a [[titular see]].<ref>[http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/former/t0203.htm Titular Episcopal See of Arsamosata], gcatholic.org</ref><ref>[http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/d3a90.html], catholic-hierarchy.org</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book |last=Canepa|first=Matthew |title=Common Dwelling Place of all the Gods: Commagene in its Local, Regional, and Global Context |chapter=Commagene Before and Beyond Antiochos I: Dynastic Identity, Topographies of Power and Persian Spectacular Religion |date=2021 |publisher=Franz Steiner Verlag |pages=71–103 |isbn=978-3515129251 |url=https://www.academia.edu/52655937 |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book|last= Canepa|first= Matthew|author-link= Matthew P. Canepa|title= The Iranian Expanse: Transforming Royal Identity Through Architecture, Landscape, and the Built Environment, 550 BCE–642 CE|year= 2018|location= Oakland|publisher= [[University of California Press]]|isbn= 9780520379206}}
* {{cite book|last=Marciak|first=Michał|title=Sophene, Gordyene, and Adiabene: Three Regna Minora of Northern Mesopotamia Between East and West|date=2017|publisher=BRILL|isbn=9789004350724|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hwEtDwAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite book |last=Michels |first=Christoph |title=Common Dwelling Place of all the Gods: Commagene in its Local, Regional, and Global Context |chapter='Achaemenid' and 'Hellenistic' Strands of Representation in the Minor Kingdoms of Asia Minor |date=2021 |publisher=Franz Steiner Verlag |pages=475–496|isbn=978-3515129251 |url=https://www.academia.edu/53107747 |url-access=registration}}
{{DGRG|title=Armosota}}

{{Kingdom of Sophene}}
{{Former settlements in Turkey}}
{{Authority control}}
{{coord|38.6609|N|39.5109|E|source:wikidata|display=title}}

[[Category:Populated places in ancient Sophene]]
[[Category:Roman towns and cities in Turkey]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Turkey]]
[[Category:Catholic titular sees in Asia]]
[[Category:Submerged places]]
[[Category:Populated places of the Byzantine Empire]]
[[Category:History of Elazığ Province]]