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]

References

^ Stephanus of Byzantium. Ethnica. Vol. s.v.
^ ^a ^b ^c Lund University. Digital Atlas of the Roman Empire.
^ Pliny. Naturalis Historia. Vol. 5.27.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, AUGUSTA Cilicia Campestris, Turkey
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ Ancient city comes to light as water recedes

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Augusta". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.