Eliaussa – Sebaste
Where
the town of Ayas is located today there was the antique city of Eliaussa –
Sebaste, one of the major settlements in the Mountainous Cilicia (Cilicia
Tracheia) founded during the late Hellenistic Period (2nd and 1st
Centuries B.C.). In the west of Eliaussa – Sebaste there was Korykos and in its
north the city of Kanytellis.
The road between Erdemli and Silifke passes through the ruins of Eliaussa – Sebaste. You can see the ruins even when driving through it. The archeological excavations on this site are being carried out by Italian archeologists.
The city lived its most prosperous period during the Roman and early Christianity periods. The development and prosperity of the city was due to its natural harbor and its fertile agricultural lands. Production of olives and olive oil, the most valuable commodities at that time, was quite significant. During the Antiquity, olives and olive oil were used for many purposes besides being important foodstuffs. Soap made of olive oil was used for hygiene. Olive oil also provided lighting in lamps. That is why olives were considered sacred in a way. Even today, olives are still revered by the mankind. The city was first settled on a high promontory jutting into the sea and then it spread towards areas inland. The period of peace ushered in by Pompeius getting rid of the pirates in the region also contributed to the prosperity of the city. But the most significant years in the history of Eliaussa – Sebaste were ushered in when Emperor Augustus of Rome donated the city to Arkhelaos, the king of Cappadocia. Arkhelaos came and settled here and changed the name of the city to Sebaste, the Greek version of Roman Augustus, as sign of his gratitude to the Roman Emperor.
When
Emperor Vespasianus reorganized Cilicia as a Roman province in the year 72
A.D., Eliaussa – Sebaste showed an enormous economic and urban development.
During the 2nd and 3rd Centuries A.D. numerous
amphitheaters, public baths and agoras were built in the city. However, after
the second half of the 3rd Century A.D. Eliaussa – Sebaste began
losing its luster and importance.
But
this period of decline lasted for a long period. From antique sources and the
findings of archeological excavations we understand that the city continued its
existence from the 5th to 7th Centuries A.D throughout
the late Roman and early Byzantine eras. During this period too, many Christian
shrines and churches were built in the city. But it was no longer a key port
and a commercial center as it was in the past.
By
the end of the 7th Century A.D. Eliaussa – Sebaste was dead. We
still don’t know the conditions under which the city died. It might have been a
natural disaster like a devastating earthquake or the cutting of its lifeline
due to its port becoming clogged with sand. Around the same time, the city of
Korykos just nearby began to develop and remained as an important center in the
region until the end of Late Middle Ages.
Now
let us see what we can find among the ruins of this antique city.
Ada
As
we have pointed out, the earliest settlement in Eliaussa was on a promontory
linked to the mainland by an isthmus. This area named “Ada” in the ancient
sources was controlling the city harbors. Western slope of the promontory is
encircled in a wall, which seems to be built in different times. We understand
this from a great variety of construction techniques such as polygonal,
rectangular or small rectangular blocks used in different sections of the wall
on which there are towers and ramparts. Ruins of public baths, cisterns,
churches and houses built during the Roman and Byzantine periods indicate that
this part of the city was inhabited for a long time. The excavation work at Ada
is being conducted only in a small area on the northern shore and ruins
belonging to the Hellenistic period have not been reached yet. Only a few coins
and parts of city walls of that period have been uncovered. In 1995-1996, a small
Byzantine basilica built in the 5th or 6th Century A.D.
was found on the northern tip of the peninsula. In 1999, the excavation work at
the northwestern section of the walls overlooking the port uncovered just
behind the wall a public bath with a mosaic floor.
The
Amphitheater
An
amphitheater built in the 12th Century just next to the main road
was uncovered during excavations between 1995 and 1999. Initial restoration
work began in 1999. However, there is very little left of the seating rows and
stone ornamentation due to continuous looting, an inevitable fate of port
cities.
The
seats and the steps in the audience section are carved out of rock. The biggest
damage seems to have incurred by the stage. Some archeological pieces have been
dug out from the front section of the stage.
Two
deep wells that were in use until 4th Century A.D. can be seen
within the structure of the stage.
The Agora
The agora appears to be
surrounded by a thick wall made of rectangularly cut stones. The northern wall
has collapsed. On both sides of the main entrance there are two ornate
fountains. There is a basilica church in the agora with two apses facing each
other on the two ends on the nave and aisles. A baptismal vessel and several
sacred objects were also found during the excavations at the church. There were
also numerous graves around the building.
As the excavation work
proceeds, there are indications that the church was either built on the
location of an earlier sacred building or an older structure was transformed
into a church.
Big Public
Bath
When
you exit from the main road and enter the area, immediately on your left you
will see the ruins of what is called the Big Public Bath. The excavation work
at the bath is still continuing. In a photograph taken in the 1800s, this
building is seen among a cluster of other buildings stretching to the side of
the road.
The
hot chamber and changing room right next to the road are in well-preserved
condition.
The Temple
The
only temple that is standing in Eloisa is located at a spot overlooking the sea
on the promontory. This structure, which is built in the Corinthian style with
12 columns along its length and 6 columns along the width, sits on a flat
opening.
It
is not known to which god the temple is dedicated. Rather, there are differing
views concerning this question. There is a small Byzantine church with a mosaic
floor in the southern part of the temple.
There
is another public bath complex among the lemon trees where the landscape rises
higher. This seems to be the residential part of the city. The bath complex is
one of the best examples of architecture built by a technique called “Opus
Reticulatum,” seen rarely in Anatolia.
The
Roman aqueduct that was restored during he Byzantine times was carrying water
from the source of Limonlu Stream first to Elaiussa then to the city of
Korykos.
The Necropolis
The
most surprising part of the ruins is the necropolis that covers a very large
area. Don’t leave the area after seeing the ruins on both sides of the road.
Just drive up the bending road passing through the village and visit the large
necropolis among the lemon groves. It is a very impressive spot and one of the
best-preserved Roman necropolises in Anatolia. There are a great variety of
tombs built in the form of houses or temples for families, graves carved into
rocks in the form of niches or sarcophagi.
Unfortunately,
some of these impressive tombs have been used as shelters for animals, storage
places and even ready-made homes for local people in later years. Because they
have been used for a score of different purposes, they have lost their
ornamentations of statues, bas-relief figures and inscriptions. Despite such
damage done through time, the necropolis still provides ample evidence of the
prosperity of the people who lived here ages ago.