Arycanda

Arykanda

The Roman baths (thermae) of Arykanda
Shown within Turkey
Alternate name Arycanda
Location Aykiriçay, Antalya Province, Turkey
Region Lycia
Coordinates 36°30′50″N 30°03′36″E / 36.51389°N 30.06000°E / 36.51389; 30.06000Coordinates: 36°30′50″N 30°03′36″E / 36.51389°N 30.06000°E / 36.51389; 30.06000
Type Settlement

Arykanda or (commonly Latinized) Arycanda is an Ancient Lycian city, former bishopric and present Catholic titular see in Antalya Province in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey. Arykanda was built upon five large terraces ascending a mountain slope, located near the small village of Aykiriçay, presently on the Elmalı-Finike road.

History

Arycanda is known to be one of the old Lycian cities, as its name ends with -anda, indicative of its Anatolian origin; dating back as far as the 2nd millennium BC.[1]

On the other hand, the oldest remains and finds from the city date from the 6th or 5th century BCE. The site is being excavated and restored by an Ankara University team[1] headed by Prof. Dr. Cevdet Bayburtluoglu[2] since 1971.

Gods and goddesses known to have been worshipped here are: (mostly Greek)

Arycanda survived through Byzantine times, until the 6th century when the settlement moved to a new site south of the modern road, which is called Arif (or Aruf) Settlement in archaeological literature so that it will not mix up with the older site.

Sights

The necropolis is seen on the slope of the hill, the gymnasium and thermae are located at its foot

Acropolis houses Hellenistic and older remains of the site which include the temple of Helios, bouleterion, prytaneion, upper agora withs its shops, and several excavated houses. The lower city houses most of the Roman remains. These include:

Ecclesiastical history

Former diocese

Since it was in the Roman province of Lycia, the bishopric of Arneae was a suffragan of the metropolitan see of Myra, the province's capital. The Second Council of Nicaea (787) were signed on behalf of the absent bishop of Arycanda by his deacon Petrus. Another bishop of Arycanda, Theodorus, took part in the Photian Council of Constantinople (879).[3][4]

Titular see

No longer a residential bishopric, Arycanda is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see.[5]

It is presently vacant, having had the following incumbents since the diocese wasnominally restored in 1921, under the name Aucanda/Ascanda until 1925, all of the lowest (episcopal) rank :

Gallery

Notes

  1. 1 2 Whiting, Dominic (2000-04-01). Turkey Handbook: The Travel Guide. Footprint Handbooks. p. 365. ISBN 1-900949-85-7.
  2. Harrison, Martin (2001-09-05). Mountain and Plain: From the Lycian Coast to the Phrygian Plateau in the Late Roman and Early Byzantine Period. p39. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0-472-11084-5.
  3. Michel Lequien, Oriens christianus in quatuor Patriarchatus digestus, Paris 1740, Vol. I, coll. 993-994
  4. Pius Bonifacius Gams, Series episcoporum Ecclesiae Catholicae, Leipzig 1931, p. 450
  5. Annuario Pontificio 2013 (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ISBN 978-88-209-9070-1), p. 838

External links

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