View source for Prusias ad Hypium

{{short description|Ruined city located in Düzce Province, Turkey}}
{{Infobox ancient site
 |name        = Prusias ad Hypium
 |native_name = Konuralp
 |alternate_name = 
 |image      = Prusias ad Hypium 10.jpg
 |alt        = 
 |caption    = Stone fragments at Prusias ad Hypium ruins.
 |map_type   = Turkey
 |map_alt    = 
 |map_size   = 250
 |location   = [[Turkey]]
 |region     = [[Düzce Province]]
 |coordinates = {{coord|40|54|22|N|31|08|53|E|display=it}}
 |type       = [[Human settlement|Settlement]]
 |part_of    = 
 |length     = 
 |width      = 
 |area       = 
 |height     = 
 |builder    = 
 |material   = 
 |built      = 
 |abandoned  = 
 |epochs     = [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic]], [[Roman Empire|Roman]], [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]], [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]]
 |cultures   = 
 |dependency_of = 
 |occupants  = 
 |event      = 
 |excavations = 
 |archaeologists = 
 |condition  = 
 |ownership  = 
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 |public_access = Limited
 |website    = 
 |notes      = 
}}
{{commons category}}

'''Prusias ad Hypium''' ({{langx|grc|Προῦσα πρὸς τῷ Ὑππίῳ ποταμῷ}})<ref name="Geography.5.1.13"/> was a city in [[ancient Bithynia]], and afterwards in the late [[Roman province]] of [[Honorias]]. In the 4th century it became a [[bishopric]] that was a [[suffragan]] of [[Bolu|Claudiopolis in Honoriade]]. Before its conquest by King [[Prusias I of Bithynia]], it was named '''Cierus''' or '''Kieros''' ({{langx|grc|Κίερος}}) and belonged to the [[Heraclea Pontica]].<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0062:entry=prusa-harpers Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898), Prusa]</ref> [[Photius]] writes that it was called Kieros, after the river which flows by it.<ref>[http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/pgm/PG_Migne/Photius%20of%20Constantinople_PG%20101-104/Bibliotheca.pdf Photius, Bibliotheca excerpts, § 224.32.1]</ref>

==Location==
The site is near Konuralp,<ref>{{Cite Barrington|86}}</ref><ref>{{Cite DARE|21255}}</ref> {{cvt|8|km}} north of [[Düzce]] on the road to [[Akçakoca]], in northwestern Turkey.<ref name="p"/><ref name="eu"/>

==History==
The settlement, initially named "Hypios", was later renamed "Kieros".<ref name="eu"/> According to [[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greek]] historical writer [[Memnon of Heraclea]] (c. 1st century), King [[Prusias I of Bithynia]] ({{reign|228|182 BC}}) captured the town of Kieros from the [[Heraclea Pontica|Heracleans]],<ref name="h1"/> united it to his dominions, and changed its name to "Prusias".<ref name="eu"/><ref>"Frag. histor. Graec.", coll. Didot, frag. 27 and 47; fragment 41 treats of Kios/[[Cius]] or Guemlek, also called Prusias, and not of Kieros, as the copyist has written; this has given rise to numerous confusions.</ref> [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]]<ref>{{Cite Pliny|5.43}}</ref> and [[Ptolemy]]<ref name="Geography.5.1.13">{{Cite Ptolemy|5.1.13}}</ref> merely mention it, one placing it at the foot of Mt. Hypius, the other east of the river [[Hypius]]. It was an important city on the road between [[Nicomedia]] (modern [[İzmit]]) at [[Sea of Marmara|Propontis]] and [[Amasra|Amastris]] (Amasra) at [[Black Sea|Euxine]] in the [[Pontus (region)|Pontus]] region.<ref name="p"/>

In about 74 BC, control of the region, and so of the city, was taken by the [[Roman Empire]]. From then on, the city was called "Prusias ad Hypium".<ref name="eu"/> The city grew from four to twelve [[phyle|phylai]] during the Roman period until the 2nd century. Three [[Roman emperor]]s, [[Hadrian]] ({{reign|117|138}}), [[Caracalla]] ({{reign|198|217}}), and [[Elagabalus]] ({{reign|218|222}}), visited the city in northwestern [[Asia Minor]].<ref name="p"/><ref name="eu"/> Already after the reign of [[Vespasian]] ({{reign|69|79}}), the city became autonomous in internal affairs and minted its own coins, though it remained dependent to Rome in foreign policy. In the beginning of the 5th century, the city became part of the newly established late [[Roman province]] of [[Honorias]], and after 451 AD, it lost its wealth towards the end of the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine period]].<ref name="eu"/>

In 1323, the city was conquered from the [[Byzantine Empire]] by [[Osman I|Osman Ghazi]] ({{reign|c. 1299|1323/4}}), the founder of the [[Ottoman Empire]]. Osman Ghazi handed over the city's control to his [[Emir|commander]] [[Konur Alp]] Bey.<ref name="h2"/><ref name="k"/> In the Ottoman period, the city center was abandoned, and the settlement was called "Üskübü" from σκοπή (skopi) meaning "watchtower". During the Ottoman period, Islamic culture became prevalent.<ref name="eu"/>

With the beginning of the [[History of the Republic of Turkey|Republican era]] (after 1923), the town's name was changed to "Konuralp". The name "Üskübü" is still used among the inhabitants.<ref name="eu"/>

==Archaeology==
In the 19th century, travellers passing by the city discovered archaeological fragments. There are official letters preserved in the [[Ottoman Archives]] indicating archaeological findings. The transport of a marble sculpture to the [[Istanbul Archaeology Museums]] in 1893–94 is mentioned in documents. Documents dated 1903 and 1909 relate to regulations for reuse and to secure archaeological findings until their delivery to the government, respectively.<ref name="eu"/>

Scientific archaeological excavations were conducted by the archaeology department of [[Düzce University]] under the patronage of the [[Konuralp Museum]] and supported by the Municipality of [[Düzce]].<ref name="h1"/><ref name="h2"/><ref name="k"/>

A plan of the city is not known. The archaeological remains and finds suggest that the settlement had a [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic]] ''[[polis]]'' character. Main remains are part of the ramparts, a rampart gate, open-air theatre, aqueduct, and a Roman bridge. Some remnants of the ancient city are under the buildings of the modern settlement of vernacular  architecture.<ref name="eu"/>

According to inscriptions found at the site, a [[gymnasium (ancient Greece)|gymnasium]] and an [[agora]] existed in the ancient city. Their location and plan remain unknown. An inscription states that people contributed money to the construction and repair works of the agora. Another public building in the city, of which the location is not known, is the Domitius bathhouse, mentioned on the honor inscription erected for the son of M. Iulius Cabinius Sacerdos of Prusias.<ref name="k"/> A colonnaded street runs southwest from the Roman bridge. Architectural fragments such as [[entablature]]s, arches, [[pediment]]s, pavements, and [[drainage|drain]]s are found on the site. A bath and aqueduct are from the early [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman period]].<ref name="p"/>

In 2020, archaeologists discovered a [[Medusa]] head dating back to the 1st or 2nd century AD.<ref>[https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/medusa-head-found-in-ancient-city-160501 Medusa head found in ancient city]</ref>
In 2023, archaeologists found the head of [[Alexander the Great]]'s statue.<ref>[https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/head-of-alexander-the-great-bust-found-in-duzce-186452 Head of Alexander the Great bust found in Düzce]</ref>

===City walls and the "Horse Gate"===
[[File:Prusias ad Hypium 12.jpg|thumb|left|The "Horse Gate"]]

The ramparts of the city were built suitable to the topography of the terrain.<ref name="eu"/> The western city walls are {{cvt|4.70|m}} high at a length of {{cvt|118|m}}. The city walls were built during the Hellenistic and Roman periods in [[ashlar]]. Some cut stones were reused in [[altar]] and other architectural elements during the repairs in the Byzantine Empire. At the western end of the walls, there is an entrance built with reused block stones.<ref name="tkp"/> {{cvt|200|m}} of the Byzantine city walls are still standing. These walls start right across the ancient bridge located at the edge of the road to [[Akçakoca]], and run as far as Hamam Street. Some of the walls remaining in the gardens of the houses form the foundations of the garden walls. There are also walls dating back to the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman period]] on the high parts of the slope where the city was founded.<ref name="k"/>

Coins from the time of [[Roman emperor]] [[Gallienus]] ({{reign|253|268}}) depict the main gate of the city with two towers. This gate is not extant.<ref name="k"/><ref name="eu"/> The "Horse Gate", which stands today within the settlement of Konuralp,<ref name="eu"/> and its extension ramparts are monuments of first grade. The city walls were repaired in different periods with reused inscribed materials. The gate [[lintel]] is made of local limestone material. It is a reused grave stele with an ancient Greek inscription dedicated to the mother of a Prusiasan and  features a horse relief.<ref name="tkp"/><ref name="eu"/> The city wall extending in a southeast direction from the gate is connected to a square-plan tower.<ref name="k"/> There is a small gate, formed by reused inscribed stone blocks, on the southern walls.<ref name="eu"/>

===Theatre===
[[File:Prusias ad Hypium 07.jpg|thumb|Theatre]]
[[File:Prusias ad Hypium 03.jpg|thumb|[[Scaenae frons]], the background stage building of the theatre]]

The [[theatre]], which is locally called "The Forty Stairs", was built in the city center during the [[Hellenistic period]] (300–30 BC) and was expanded in the [[Roman Empire|Roman period]] (30 BC-300 AD).<ref name="tkp"/> The theatre, with the dimensions of {{cvt|100|x|74|m}}, covers an area of {{cvt|5978|m2}}.<ref name="k"/> The [[cavea]] stands on the hillside and is oriented southward.<ref name="eu"/> It had a capacity of 10,000 spectators with 36 seating rows in three caveas separated by aisles;<ref name="k"/> only 17 rows in the lower section and 15 rows in the upper section are preserved today. The sides of the seating rows at the radial aisles are decorated with ''[[Alchemilla]]'' figures.<ref name="ktb"/>

The scaenae, the theatre stage, has a rectangular plan.<ref name="eu"/> Two arched windows and an arched door of the [[scaenae frons]] as well as the [[parodos|parodoi]] stand firmly on the exterior of the stage.<ref name="p"/><ref name="k"/> The theatre is dated to the period between Hellenistic and Roman since the entrance on the stage is not common in [[Theatre of ancient Greece#Architecture|ancient Greek theatre architecture]]. The cavea was constructed in the 1st century, and the scaenae was added in 190 AD.<ref name="eu"/>

In 2023, archaeologists have found at the theater a statue of [[Medusa]], a statue of [[Apollo]], the head of a statue of [[Alexander the Great]] and in a room located at the top of the theater a mosaic, which they called it the "Lion Mosaic".<ref>[https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/lion-mosaic-latest-find-in-konuralp-ancient-city-187897 Lion mosaic latest find in Konuralp ancient city]</ref>

===Roman bridge===
[[File:Prusias ad Hypium 22.jpg|thumb|left|The "Roman bridge" under reconstruction]]

A 74 BC-built {{cvt|10|m}}-long three-arched bridge is located outside the city walls in the west, crossing the river Hypius (modern-day "Melen" is one of the oldest intact bridges in Turkey built by the Roman Empire).<ref name="p"/><ref name="eu"/><ref name="k"/> The total length of the "Roman bridge" is {{cvt|30.25|m}}. It is {{cvt|4.80|m}} wide and {{cvt|3.17|m}} high. It is made of white marble blocks without using any mortar. The original length of the bridge was {{cvt|39.20|m}}.<ref name="tkp"/> The restoration of the bridge, after a flood ruined its [[Pavers (flooring)|pavement]], was completed in 2019.<ref name="p"/><ref name="dp1"/>

===Colonnaded street===
A colonnaded street running between the city and the Roman bridge was discovered in 1974 during construction works for an irrigation canal in the southern section of the Düzce-Akçakoca highway D-655. Some architectural elements, such as the [[architrave]], column fragments, vaulted blocks, and arches are deposited in the [[Konuralp Museum]].<ref name="eu"/>

===Kemerkasım Aqueduct===
This is an [[aqueduct (water supply)|aqueduct]] located at the nearby Kemerkasım village. In the beginning of the 2nd century AD, P. Domitius Iulianus helped out financially to bring water to the city, and in the 3rd century a nobleman, Gavinius Sacerdos, financially supported the water system.<ref name="k"/> Eleven retaining legs from the old water system of the city, the Kemerkasım Aqueduct, have survived to the present day. The aqueduct was made of rubble stone.<ref name="tkp"/>

===Necroplis===
The necropolis of the ancient city, a large, designed cemetery of [[Roman Empire|Roman period]] with elaborate tomb monuments, is located on three hills in the Şehit Hüseyin Kıl neighborhood of Konuralp. It covers an area of {{cvt| 173697|m2}}. Artifacts found at this site, such as a garlanded sarcophagus, a Roman period statue, steles, block stones, and earthenware pieces, are exhibited in the Konuralp Museum.<ref name="k"/>

==Konuralp Museum==
The nearby [[Konuralp Museum]] was established in 2003 to preserve the cultural heritage of the ancient city of Prusias ad Hypium. It contains a total of 6,237 artifacts including 1,848 archaeological, 491 ethnographic, and 3,898 coins.<ref name="tkp"/>

;Tyche statue
A statue of [[Tyche]], the presiding [[tutelary deity]], who governed the fortune and prosperity of a city, was uncovered in 1931. The original statue, dated to 4th century AD, is exhibited after restoration in the Istanbul Archaeology Museums, and a copy of it is in the Konuralp Museum.<ref name="p"/><ref name="k"/>

;Floor mosaics
A floor mosaic depicting [[Orpheus]], a legendary musician, poet, and [[prophet]] in [[ancient Greek religion]], with the Seasons was unearthed in  the south of the ancient city in 1998.<ref name="p"/><ref name="k"/> After restoration works, it was placed in the museum.<ref name="k"/>

In 2016, another floor mosaic was unearthed inside a villa ruin, dated back to the Roman period  of 300–400 AD, at Aynalı village about {{cvt|3|km}} from the ancient city.<ref name="h3"/> It depicts [[Achilles]], a hero of the [[Trojan War]], and his mother [[Thetis]].<ref name="p"/><ref name="k"/>

;Garland sarcophagus
A large garlanded [[sarcophagus]] was found in the [[necropolis]] situated in the hill west of Konuralp in 1937. The long sides of the sarcophagus are decorated with reliefs of garlanded [[bucranium|bucrania]]. Its lower part features reliefs of several animals like pigs, lions, eagles, and fishing birds.<ref name="k"/>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
File:Tyche Pluto Prusias ad Hypium IstArchMu451b.jpg|Statue of goddess [[Tyche]]
File:Prusias ad Hypium 04.jpg|"[[Orpheus]]" mosaic
File:Prusias ad Hypium 53.jpg|Garland sarcophagus in the [[Konuralp Museum]], Turkey
</gallery>

==Bishops==
The city became a bishopric in the 4th century. Bishop Georgios attended the [[First Council of Nicaea]] in 325 AD, and Bishop Olympios took part at the [[Council of Chalcedon]] (451 AD).<ref name="p"/>

Several of its bishops are known:<ref>[[Le Quien]], ''Oriens christianus'' I, 579.</ref>
* George (not Hesychius, as [[Le Quien]] says), 325 
* Olympios in 451
* Dometius in 681
* Theophilios in 787 
* Constantine in 869 
* Leo in 879
* St. Paul, martyred by the [[iconoclasm|iconoclasts]] in the ninth century

It is not known when this bishopric disappeared; it still existed in the tenth century.<ref>[[Heinrich Gelzer]], ''Ungedruckte ... Texte der Notitiæ episcopatuum'', 554.''</ref> No longer the seat of a residential bishop, it remains a [[titular see]] of the [[Roman Catholic Church]].<ref>[http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/d3p21.html Catholic Hierarchy]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="tkp">{{cite web |url=https://www.kulturportali.gov.tr/turkiye/duzce/gezilecekyer/antk-sehr-prusias-ad-hypium-konuralp |publisher=Türkiye Kültğr Portalı |title=Prusias Ad Hypium Antik Kenti – Düzce |language=tr |access-date=7 November 2020 }}</ref>
<ref name="ktb">{{cite web |url=https://duzce.ktb.gov.tr/TR-210468/prusias-ad-hypium-antik-kenti.html |publisher=T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı – Düzce Kültür ve Turizm Müdürlüğü |title=Prusias ad Hypium Antik Kenti |language=tr |access-date=7 November 2020 }}</ref>
<ref name="k">{{cite web |url=http://www.konuralpegel.com/tarih-turizmi |publisher=Konuralp |title=Tarih Turizmi – Konuralp'ın Mihenk Taşlatından ... Prusias Antik Kentinin Dokusu |language=tr |access-date=7 November 2020 }}</ref>
<ref name="h1">{{cite news |url=https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/seyahat/konuralp-antik-kenti-yerli-yabanci-turistlerin-gozdesi-oldu-41597625 |newspaper=[[Hürriyet]] |title=Konuralp antik kenti yerli yabancı turistlerin gözdesi oldu  |date=28 August 2020 |language=tr |access-date=8 November 2020 }}</ref>
<ref name="h2">{{cite news |url=https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/seyahat/bati-karadenizin-efesi-prusias-ad-hypium-antik-kenti-41303220 |newspaper=[[Hürriyet]] |title=Batı Karadeniz'in Efes'i: Prusias ad Hypium Antik Kenti |date=18 August 2019 |language=tr |access-date=8 November 2020 }}</ref>
<ref name="h3">{{cite news |url=https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/galeri-duzcede-roma-donemine-ait-villa-kalintilari-bulundu-40198440/4 |newspaper=[[Hürriyet]] |title=Düzce'de Roma dönemine ait villa kalıntıları bulundu |date=17 August 2016 |language=tr |access-date=8 November 2020 }}</ref>
<ref name="dp1">{{cite news |url=https://www.duzcepusula.com/2000-yillik-kopru/14563/ |newspaper=Düzce Posta |title=2000 Yılllık Köprü |date=9 November 2019 |language=tr |access-date=10 November 2020 }}</ref>
<ref name="p">{{cite web |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0006:entry=prusias-ad-hypium |publisher=The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites |title=Prusias ad Hypium (Konuralp or Üskübü) Turkey |access-date=10 November 2020 }}</ref>
<ref name="eu">{{cite conference |url=http://dspace.epoka.edu.al/bitstream/handle/1/1023/236.pdf?sequence=1 |publisher=Epoka University|location= Tirana, Albania|conference=2nd ICAUD International Conference in Architecture and Urban Design |title=Konuralp: A Town Between Antiquity and Today (Türkiye) |author= Okur Coşkunçay, Esra |date=8–10 May 2014 |access-date=11 November 2020 }}</ref>
}}

===Attribution===
* {{DGRG|title=Prusa}}
* {{Catholic|wstitle=Prusias ad Hypium}} The entry cites:
** De Hell, ''Voyage en Turquie et Perse'', IV, 334–38, 353–73
** Texier, ''Asie Mineure'', 85
** Le Bar, ''Voyage archéologique'', 1174–82
** Perrot, ''Expédition archéologique de la Galatie et de la Bithynie'' (Paris, 1872, 20–42)

== External links ==
* {{commons category-inline|Prusias ad Hypium}}

{{Former settlements in Turkey}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Populated places in Bithynia]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Turkey]]
[[Category:Catholic titular sees in Asia]]
[[Category:Bithynian colonies]]
[[Category:History of Düzce Province]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Turkey]]
[[Category:Roman towns and cities in Turkey]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Düzce Province]]