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{{short description|Settlement in Eastern Turkey}}
{{Infobox settlement
{{Infobox Turkey place
| official_name = Samsat
| native_name = | type = municipality
| nickname = | name = Samsat
| motto = | other_name =
| image_skyline = | image_skyline =File:Samsat Turkey.jpg
| imagesize = | image_caption =
| image_caption = | image_shield =
| coordinates = {{coord|37|34|46|N|38|28|53|E|region:TR|display=inline,title}}
| image_flag =
| image_seal = | province = Adıyaman
| image_shield = | district = Samsat
| image_map = | leader_party = ]
| mapsize = | leader_name = Halil Fırat
| map_caption = | area_footnotes =
| pushpin_map = Turkey | area_total_km2 =
| pushpin_label_position = | elevation_m = 610
| population_footnotes = <ref name=tuik/>
| subdivision_type = ]
| population_total = 3790
| subdivision_name = {{flag|Turkey}}
| population_as_of = 2022
| subdivision_type1 = Governorate
| subdivision_name1 = ] | postal_code =
| subdivision_type2 = Municipality | website = {{URL|https://www.samsat.bel.tr/}}
| subdivision_name2 = | established_date = 12th c. BC
| government_type =
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = Halil Fırat
| leader_title1 = ]
| leader_name1 = Halid Yıldız
| leader_title2 =
| leader_name2 =
| leader_title3 =
| leader_name3 =
| established_title =
| established_date =
| established_title2 =
| established_date2 =
| established_title3 =
| established_date3 =
| area_footnotes =
| area_magnitude =
| area_total_km2 = 338
| TotalArea_sq_mi =
| area_land =
| LandArea_sq_mi =
| area_water =
| WaterArea_sq_mi =
| area_water_percent =
| area_urban =
| UrbanArea_sq_mi =
| area_metro =
| MetroArea_sq_mi =
| population_as_of =
| population_footnotes =
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| population_total =
| population_density = <!--Note: use population_footnotes for refs, use only unformatted numbers here -->
| population_density_mi2 = <!--Note: use population_footnotes for refs, use only unformatted numbers here -->
| population_metro = <!--Note: use population_footnotes for refs, use only unformatted numbers here -->
| population_density_metro_km2 =
| population_density_metro_mi2 =
| population_urban =
| timezone =
| utc_offset =
| timezone_DST =
| utc_offset_DST =
| coordinates = {{coord|37|34|46.4|N|38|28|52.7|E|region:IQ-NI|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation =
| elevation_m = 610
| postal_code_type =
| postal_code =
| website = {{URL| http://www.samsat.gov.tr|http://www.samsat.gov.tr }}
| footnotes =
| twin1 =
| twin1_country =
| name =
| leader_party = ]
}} }}
'''Samsat''' ({{langx|ku-Latn|Samîsad}},<ref>{{cite book |author1=Avcıkıran |first=Adem |url= |title=Kürtçe Anamnez Anamneza bi Kurmancî |date=2009 |page=56 |language=tr, ku |access-date=}}</ref> ] صمصاد ''Semisat''<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sezen |first=Tahir |url=https://www.academia.edu/9619569/osmanli_yer_adlari |title=Osmanlı yer adları: alfabetik sırayla |date=2006 |publisher=T.C. Başbakanlık Devlet Arşivleri Genel Müdürlüğü |isbn=978-975-19-3945-6 |series=Yayın |location=Ankara |pages= |at=s.v. Samsat, p. 430 |oclc=133108331}}</ref>), formerly '''Samosata''' ({{langx|grc|Σαμόσατα}}) is a small town in the ] of ], situated on the upper ] river. It is the seat of ].<ref name=ilce>, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 22 December 2022.</ref> The town is populated by ] of the Bezikan tribe.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |title=Aşiretler raporu |publisher=Kaynak Yayınları |year=2014 |edition=3rd |pages=14 |language=tr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Orhan |first=Mehmet |date=2020 |title=Research Methodology in Kurdish Studies. Interactions between Fieldwork, Epistemology and Theory. |journal=] |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=8 and 17 |doi=10.3167/ame.2020.150102|doi-access=free }}</ref>


'''Samsat''' ({{lang-ku|Samîsad}}, {{lang-ar|سُمَيْسَاطَ|Sumaysāṭ}})<ref>{{cite book |author1=adem Avcıkıran |title=Kürtçe Anamnez Anamneza bi Kurmancî |date=2009 |page=56 |url=http://tirsik.net/danegeh/pirtuk/ismail%20bulbul/anamneza%20bi%20kurmanc%C3%AE.pdf |access-date=17 December 2019 |language=tr, ku}}</ref> is a small town and district in the ] of ], situated on the upper ] river. Halil Fırat from the ] (AKP) was elected mayor in the ] in March 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sabah.com.tr/secim/31-mart-2019-yerel-secim-sonuclari/adiyaman/samsat/ilcesi-yerel-secim-sonuclari|title=Adıyaman Samsat Seçim Sonuçları - 31 Mart 2019 Yerel Seçimleri|website=www.sabah.com.tr|access-date=2019-12-18}}</ref> The current ] is Halid Yıldız.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.samsat.gov.tr/|title=T.C. Samsat Kaymakamlığı|website=www.samsat.gov.tr|access-date=2019-12-18}}</ref> Halil Fırat from the ] (AKP) was elected mayor in the ] in March 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sabah.com.tr/secim/31-mart-2019-yerel-secim-sonuclari/adiyaman/samsat/ilcesi-yerel-secim-sonuclari|title=Adıyaman Samsat Seçim Sonuçları - 31 Mart 2019 Yerel Seçimleri|website=www.sabah.com.tr|access-date=2019-12-18}}</ref> The current ] is Halid Yıldız.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.samsat.gov.tr/|title=T.C. Samsat Kaymakamlığı|website=www.samsat.gov.tr|access-date=2019-12-18}}</ref>


Samsat was the ancient capital of ]. The current site of Samsat is comparatively new, however, being built only since 1989 when the old town of Samosata was flooded during construction of the ].<ref>.</ref> Indeed, to some extent the re-construction of the town is still ongoing<ref>.</ref> A even more ancient ] nearby dating back to the paleolithic era has survived to the current day. Samsat was the ancient capital of ]. The current site of Samsat is comparatively new, however, being rebuilt in 1989 when the old town of Samosata was flooded during the construction of the ].<ref>.</ref> As of 2018, reconstruction process had not yet been fully completed.<ref>.</ref> An ancient ] nearby dating back to ] times has survived to the current day.


Its population was 3,790 in 2022, up from 3,520 in 2017.<ref name=tuik>{{cite web|url=https://biruni.tuik.gov.tr/medas/?kn=95&locale=en |title=Population Of Municipalities, Villages And Quarters|publisher=] |access-date=2 August 2023}}</ref>
In 2016 the town had a population of 3789,<ref>.</ref> down from 4720 in 2008 and a peak of 6.917 in 2000.

==Name==
The town was a center of the ] in the ] and was called ] in that period.<ref name="Bloemer">Michael Blömer / Religious Life of Commagene in the Late Hellenistic and Early Roman Period pp.95-129/The Letter of Mara bar Sarapion in Context. Proceedings of the Symposium Held at Utrecht University, 10–12 December 2009 /BRILL 2012<blockquote>In doing so, Samosata, the Commagenian capital and hometown of Mara bar Sarapion, would suit best as the prime object of investigation. The place was one of the most important sites along the Upper Euphrates. It offered an easy crossing of the river and was occupied since Chalcolithic times. It is named Kummuḫ in Iron Age sources and was the centre of an eponymous independent Syro-Hittite kingdom from the 12th to the 8th century BCE. The Assyrian king Sargon II conquered Kummuḫ in 708 BCE, but it remained an important provincial town during late Iron Age. In Hellenistic times it was capital of the kingdom of Commagene. The city was renamed Samosata by a predecessor of the Commagenian royal family, the Armenian king Samos I, in the 3rd century BCE. After the Roman occupation in CE 72, Samosata prospered as a major commercial, cultural and military centre of the Roman province of Syria.</blockquote></ref>

By the ], the Greeks and Romans knew the city as Samosata ({{lang-grc|Σαμόσατα}}) or Samosate.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites, SAMOSATA (Sainsat) SW Anatolia. |url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0006:entry=samosata}}</ref><ref>Prof. Dr. Gönül Öney, 1978 – 79 ve 1981 Yılı Samsat Kazılarında Bulunan İslam Devri Buluntularıyla İlgili İlk Haber Sh.: 71</ref>

The most commonly accepted origin of the name suggests that ancient Samosata was so named in honour of ], an ] king of ] and ] who ruled around 260 BCE.<ref name=toumanoff>Toumanoff, Cyril ''Studies in Christian Caucasian History'' (1963), p. 280 and 292, Georgetown University Press</ref><ref name="GoelSanders">Nemrud Dağı Text, Theresa Goell, Donald Hugo Sanders, ed. Eisenbrauns, 1996, p. 367 "Puchstein's epigraphic interpretation was not unambiguous; the name of the father could be read or restored to Samos (Sames) or Arsames. Puchstein had decided to read Samos; Honigmann (1963: 981) decided likewise to read Samos; Reinach and" ... "Samos was the "founder" of Samosata in the same way that his son Arsames was "founder" of Arsameia ", p.368 "Chronologically, this king Samos belongs to the first half of the third century B.C.E." </ref><ref>M. J. Versluys/ Visual Style and Constructing Identity in the Hellenistic World: Nemrud Dag and Commagene under Antiochos I/Cambridge University Press, 2017 г.—pp.48 (312) {{ISBN|1107141974}}, 9781107141971<blockquote>We know nothing about the status of Commagene under Seleucid rule. The Armenian king Samos I is believed to have founded Samosata, later the capital of Commagene, in the middle of the third century BC. The second century BC saw the rise of the two powers that would play an important role in Commagene's future during the next centuries: Rome and Parthia. Their growing prominence, combined with the failing of the central Seleucid power, resulted in the rise of several small monarchies, of which Commagene was one. Other independent kingdoms that came into being around this time include Pergamon, Pontos, Baktria, Parthia, Armenia, Iudea and Nabatea. Diodorus tells us that a Seleucid epistates named Ptolemy rose to power in Commagene in 163 BC. Most scholars assume that Ptolemy was the first Commagenean king and that he descended from the Armenian Orontids. We know virtually nothing about the following decades. Samos II took power around 130 BC, as is concluded from some coins that have been preserved, showing a portrait with the inscription “king Samos.” </blockquote></ref><ref>Not to be confused with a later Sames/Samos (]), who ruled Commagene in the second century BCE</ref>


==History== ==History==
===Antiquity=== ===Antiquity===
The city of Samosata was founded sometime before 245 BC on the previous ] site of ] by the ] king of ], ].{{sfn|Canepa|2018|p=109}} He may have founded the city in order to assert his claim over the area, a common practice amongst ] and ] dynasties, such as ], ], ] and ].{{sfn|Michels|2021|pp=478–479}} The city was built in a "sub-]" Persian ], similar to the rest of Orontid buildings in ].<ref>{{harvnb|Canepa|2021|p=84}}; see also {{harvnb|Canepa|2018|p=110}}</ref> Naming cities such as Samosata (] ''*Sāmašād''; ] ''*Sāmašiyāti-'') the "joy of" or "happiness of" was an Orontid (and later ]) practice that recalled the Achaemenid royal discourse.{{sfn|Canepa|2021|p=82}} Samosata served as one of the most important royal residences of the Orontid kings of Sophene.{{sfn|Canepa|2018|p=110}}
] from Samosata]] ] from Samosata]]
Like other early-Orontid royal residences, Samosata experienced a sudden shift in its architectural style under the Orontids of ] due to their close involvement in the ].{{sfn|Canepa|2021|p=84}} During this period, Samosata was most likely populated by a variety of peoples, descended from ], ], ], ], and ].{{sfn|Andrade|2013|p=74}} Samosata was amongst the places where its ruler ] ({{reign|70|31|era=BC}}) founded sanctuaries that contained inscriptions about his cult as well as reliefs of his '']'' with ]-]s.{{sfn|Andrade|2013|p=77}} In 73 AD, Samosata as well as the rest of Commagene was incorporated into the ]. It may have been during this event that the ] letter of ] was composed. The letter makes mention of an ]-speaking elite in Samosata that studied ] and ].{{sfn|Andrade|2013|p=87}} Under the Roman emperor ] ({{reign|117|138}}), Samosata was given metropolis status along with ] and ].{{sfn|Andrade|2013|p=177}}
The region was conquered by Sargon in 708 BC and became a province of ].<ref name="Bloemer" />


]s were later placed in Samosata to discourage the ] (224–651) from attacking it. In 260, it was the first city that was sacked by the Sasanian emperor ] ({{reign|240|270}}) following his capture of the Roman emperor ] ({{reign|253|260}}). Shapur I is known to have had coins minted in the same fashion as the Roman '']'', which he may have taken from the material used in the mint of Samosata.{{sfn|Gyselen|2010|p=76}}
Control of the region of Commagene was apparently held by the Orontid dynasty since the 3rd century BCE, who also ruled over Armenia and Sophene. These seem to have held Commagene continuously from the time of Sames I, as the later ] of the 2nd century BCE traced their lineage back to them.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brijder |first1=Herman |title=Nemrud Dagi : recent archaeological research and conservation activities in the tomb sanctuary on Mount Nemrud |date=2014 |isbn=9781614519058 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=roHoBQAAQBAJ&q=978-1-61451-713-9}}</ref>


King ] was the last effective ruler,<ref>Chahin, Mark (2001). The Kingdom of Armenia. Routledge. pp. 190–191. {{ISBN|0-7007-1452-9}}.</ref> and his death caused a political crisis of succession into which Rome intervened in 72 AD.<ref>Tacitus, The Annals 2.42.</ref>

]'']]
It was at Samosata that ] had ships made in his expedition against ], and it was a natural crossing-place in the struggle between ] and ] in the 7th century. It was at Samosata that ] had ships made in his expedition against ], and it was a natural crossing-place in the struggle between ] and ] in the 7th century.


Samosata was the birthplace of several renowned people from antiquities such as ] (''c.'' 120-192) and ] (fl. 260). Samosata was the birthplace of several renowned people from antiquity such as ] (''c.'' 120-192) and ] (fl. 260).


===Medieval history=== ===Medieval history===
]'']]
{{rough translation section|Turkish}}
The Arabs conquered Commagene from the Byzantines in 640. ], a ] and commander during the ], was buried in Samosata.
The Arabs occupied the city and took the whole control from the Byzantines. ] died and was buried in Samsat. The ] turned out to be very devastating for the fate of the town. ] of the Anatolian ] captured Samsat in 1203, and it was looted in 1237 by the ]. Then it was invaded by the Mongol Emperor ] in 1240 and later also by the ].


In the tenth century, the town, which was the second biggest in the region after ], was recaptured by the Byzantines.{{sfn|Beihammer|2017|p=54}} In June 966, Samosata was the venue of an exchange of prisoners between the Byzantine Emperor ] and his Muslim foe ].{{sfn|Fattori|2013|p=117}}
It was absorbed into the ] by ] in 1392 and in 1401 it was destroyed by ]. In 1516, the ottoman Sultan ] recaptured it for the Ottomans. It lost its old importance in the Ottoman administration and became the center of a ].

After the collapse of Byzantine authority in the region, the town fell into the domain of the Armenian ].{{sfn|Beihammer|2017|p=285}} At some point after that it fell into the hands of a certain Baluk, on of Amīr Ghāzī, who is mentioned among the army of ] which besieged Edessa in 1095.{{sfn|Beihammer|2017|p=256}} While he managed to fend off an ] under ] send by the ruler of Edessa, ], he later had to sell the town to Baldwin for 10,000 gold coins upon which it belonged to the ].{{sfn|Beihammer|2017|p=285}}

Warfare in the ] devastated Samosata. ] of the Anatolian ] captured Samosata in 1203. The ] conquered and looted the town in 1237. The Mongol Emperor ] conquered Samosata in 1240 and the ] conquered the town as well.

Samosata was temporarily absorbed into the ] by ] in 1392, and in 1401 it was destroyed by ]. In 1516, the Ottoman Sultan ] recaptured it for the Ottomans who renamed it Samsat. It lost its old importance in the Ottoman administration and became the centre of a ].


===Modern times=== ===Modern times===
During the ], the population of the town were decreasing. In 1960, Samsat was transformed into a district center and connected to the province of ]. During Turkey's ], the population of the town decreased. In 1960, Samsat was made a district center and connected to the province of ].


The city of Samsat was evacuated from the old settlement on 5 March 1988 due to the construction of the ]. A new location for the settlement was announced through the law No. 3433 dated 21 April 1988. The historical Samsat submerged in 1989 as the Atatürk Dam was filled with the water of the ] river. The new town was built beside the new waterline by the Turkish government to house the displaced residents. The city of Samsat was evacuated from the old settlement on 5 March 1988 due to the construction of the ]. A new location for the settlement was announced through Law No. 3433 on 21 April 1988. The historical Samsat was submerged in 1989 as the dam created the ]. The new town was built beside the new waterline by the Turkish government to house the displaced residents.


The new town of Samsat was destroyed by an earthquake on 2 March 2017. The city was largely rebuilt afterwards.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.com/turkce/haberler-turkiye-43875409 | title=Adıyaman'daki depremde 13 kişi yaralandı, yıkılan binalar var | newspaper=BBC News Türkçe }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=20 March 2022 |title=Samsat ilçesi yeniden inşa ediliyor |url=https://www.sondakika.com/ekonomi/haber-samsat-ilcesi-yeniden-insa-ediliyor-14808218/}}</ref>
=== In Christianity ===

In the Christian ], seven ] ]s were crucified in 297 in Samosata for refusing to perform a pagan rite in celebration of the victory of ] over the ]: Abibus, Hipparchus, James, Lollian, Paragnus, Philotheus, and Romanus. ] was born in a village near Samosata; ], venerated on 19 February, who lived in the 6th century at ], was also a native of Samosata. A '']'' of ] in the 6th century mentions Samosata as an autocephalous metropolis (''Échos d'Orient'', X, 144); at the synod that reinstated ] (the Photian Council) of 879, the See of Samosata had already been united to that of ] (Diyarbakır).<ref>], ''Conciliorum collectio'', XVII-XVIII, 445.</ref> As in 586 the titular of Amida bears only this title (<ref>], ''Oriens christianus'', II, 994.</ref>), it must be concluded that the union took place between the 7th and the 9th centuries. Earlier ]s included Peperius, who attended the ] (325); ], a great opponent of the ], killed by an Arian woman (c. 380), honoured on 22 June; Andrew, a vigorous opponent of ] and of the ].<ref>Le Quien, ''Oriens christianus'', II, 933-6.</ref>
===In Christianity===
In the Christian ], seven ] ]s were crucified in 297 in Samosata for refusing to perform a pagan rite in celebration of the victory of ] over the ]: Abibus, Hipparchus, James, Lollian, Paragnus, Philotheus, and Romanus. ] the ] ] was born in Samosata in 200; ] was born in a village near Samosata; ], venerated on 19 February, who lived in the 6th century at ], was also a native of Samosata. A '']'' of ] in the 6th century mentions Samosata as an autocephalous metropolis (''Échos d'Orient'', X, 144); at the synod that reinstated ] (the Photian Council) of 879, the See of Samosata had already been united to that of ], present-day Diyarbakır.<ref>], ''Conciliorum collectio'', XVII-XVIII, 445.</ref> By 586, the titular of Amida bore only this title,<ref>], ''Oriens christianus'', II, 994.</ref> meaning the union took place between the 7th and the 9th centuries. Earlier ]s included Peperius, who attended the ] (325); ], a great opponent of the ], killed by an Arian woman (c. 380), honoured on 22 June; Andrew, a vigorous opponent of ] and of the ].<ref>Le Quien, ''Oriens christianus'', II, 933-6.</ref>


Chabot gives a list of twenty-eight ] bishops.<ref>''Revue de l'Orient chrétien'', VI, 203.</ref> The Syrian bishopric probably lapsed in the 12th century.<ref>] (1993), ''Pour un Oriens Christianus novus; répertoire des diocèses Syriaques orientaux et occidentaux'', Beirut, p. 263, {{ISBN|3-515-05718-8}}</ref> Samosata is included in the ]'s list of ]s, but no further ]s have been appointed for that eastern see since the ]. Chabot gives a list of twenty-eight ] bishops.<ref>''Revue de l'Orient chrétien'', VI, 203.</ref> The Syrian bishopric probably lapsed in the 12th century.<ref>] (1993), ''Pour un Oriens Christianus novus; répertoire des diocèses Syriaques orientaux et occidentaux'', Beirut, p. 263, {{ISBN|3-515-05718-8}}</ref> Samosata is included in the ]'s list of ]s, but no further ]s have been appointed for that eastern see since the ].
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Archaeological research on the hill of Şehremuz in Samsat has uncovered relics from the 7000 BC Paleolithic era; the 5000 BC Neolithic, 3000 BC ] and 3000 to 1200 BC Bronze Ages. The ancient city of ] (]: ''Ḫaḫḫa'') was located nearby; it is recorded ]. Archaeological research on the hill of Şehremuz in Samsat has uncovered relics from the 7000 BC Paleolithic era; the 5000 BC Neolithic, 3000 BC ] and 3000 to 1200 BC Bronze Ages. The ancient city of ] (]: ''Ḫaḫḫa'') was located nearby; it is recorded ].


The first excavations were conducted in 1964 and 1967 under the direction of T. Goell. In fact, the settlement was known and famous before these excavations. Then, in 1977, under the Lower Euphrates Project, which was aimed at identifying and saving the archaeological settlements that will remain within the water collection area of Karakaya and Atatürk Dams. Surface surveys were conducted under the direction of Mehmet Özdoğan. In these studies, it was concluded that the settlement was permanently inhabited from the Halaf Period to the Ottoman Period. The following year, the excavations started in 1978, except for 1980, until 1987, Ankara University, Faculty of Language and History-Geography Professor. Dr. It was conducted by the team led by Nimet Özgüç. These excavations were carried out on a very wide area, including the lower city and surrounding walls. The first excavations were conducted in 1964 and 1967 under the direction of the American archeologist ] in anticipation of the site being flooded by a new dam across the Euphrates at . Work in 1964 consisted of a single shallow trench on the acropolis finding only medieval storage vessels. Work in 1967 excavated only down to the ].<ref>Th. B. Goel, "Samosata Archaeological Excavations, Turkey, 1967", National Geographic Society Research Reports, 1967 Projects, pp. 83–109, 1974</ref> Then, in 1977, under the Lower Euphrates Project, plans were put together aimed at identifying and saving the archaeological settlements that were to be inundated by the reservoir of Karakaya and Atatürk Dams. Surface surveys were conducted under the direction of Mehmet Özdoğan. In these studies, it was concluded that the settlement was permanently inhabited from the Halaf Period to the Ottoman Period. The following year, the excavations started in 1978, except for 1980, until 1987, under Ankara University, Faculty of Language and History-Geography It was conducted by the team led by Nimet Özgüç. These excavations were carried out on a very wide area, including the lower city and surrounding walls.


Coins belonging to the 12th - 13th centuries AD were identified during the excavations in the layers dating to the late phases of the Middle Ages. Of these Seljuk sultans I. Gıyaseddin Keyhusrev (1192-1195), Ala al-Din Keykubbad, (1219-1236), II. Gıyaseddin Keyhusrev (1236-1246), IV. Rükn el-Din The coins of Kılıç Arslan (1257-1264), as well as the coins of Saladin (1170-1193) printed in Harran, were uncovered.<ref>Nimet Özgüç, 1985 Yılında Yapılmış Olan Samsat Kazılarının Sonuçları' – 8. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı (1986) Sh.: 297</ref> Coins belonging to the 12th - 13th centuries AD were identified during the excavations in the layers dating to the late phases of the Middle Ages. Of these Seljuk sultans I. Gıyaseddin Keyhusrev (1192–1195), Ala al-Din Keykubbad, (1219-1236), II. Gıyaseddin Keyhusrev (1236-1246), IV. Rükn el-Din The coins of Kılıç Arslan (1257–1264), as well as the coins of Saladin (1170-1193) printed in Harran, were uncovered.<ref>Nimet Özgüç, 1985 Yılında Yapılmış Olan Samsat Kazılarının Sonuçları' – 8. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı (1986) Sh.: 297</ref>


The collection of glassware with cups, glasses and bowls is very rich. Other finds include oil lamps, ivory comb, fragrance bottle,<ref>Nimet Özgüç, 8. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı, p298</ref> terracotta lamps, bone spoons, leaf-shaped marble sconces and coins.<ref>Nimet Özgüç, 7. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı, p 227</ref> The collection of glassware with cups, glasses and bowls is very rich. Other finds include oil lamps, ivory comb, fragrance bottle,<ref>Nimet Özgüç, 8. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı, p298</ref> terracotta lamps, bone spoons, leaf-shaped marble sconces and coins.<ref>Nimet Özgüç, 7. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı, p 227</ref>
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The walls of the Seljuk Period, built on a solid Byzantine fortress, were preserved intact. The inscription on the limestone of this fortification was studied by a master calligrapher. The landfill belonged to Diyarbekr Şah Karaaslan.<ref>Nimet Özgüç, Samsat Kazıları 1982' – 5. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı (1983) p111.</ref> The walls of the Seljuk Period, built on a solid Byzantine fortress, were preserved intact. The inscription on the limestone of this fortification was studied by a master calligrapher. The landfill belonged to Diyarbekr Şah Karaaslan.<ref>Nimet Özgüç, Samsat Kazıları 1982' – 5. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı (1983) p111.</ref>


The center of the palace, which is thought to be the central courtyard, is 14,65 X 20,55 meters and it has a mosaic corner.<ref>Nimet Özgüç, Samsat 1984 Yılı Kazıları, 7. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı (1985) p224.</ref> The centre of the palace, which is thought to be the central courtyard, is 14,65 X 20,55 meters and it has a mosaic corner.<ref>Nimet Özgüç, Samsat 1984 Yılı Kazıları, 7. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı (1985) p224.</ref>


The skeletons of five people thrown into a 1.8 meter diameter well of the Islamic Period were found. At the bottom of the skeleton at the bottom of the skeleton, there are five gold coins and silver coins from the Abbasid Period. One of the gold coins belongs to Harunürreşid (766 - 709) and the other to Mutevekkil (822 - 861).<ref>Nimet Özgüç, 7. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı (1985) Sh.: 226</ref> The skeletons of five people thrown into a 1.8 meter diameter well of the Islamic Period were found. At the bottom with the skeletons, five gold coins and silver coins from the Abbasid Period were found. One of the gold coins belongs to ] (766 - 709) and the others to Mutawakkil (822 - 861).<ref>Nimet Özgüç, 7. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı (1985) Sh.: 226</ref>


Today the settlement is 700 meters inside the Euphrates but before inundation it was 37–40 meters above the plain level and has an area of 500 x 350 meters. The most steep slope is the eastern slope and the lowest slope is the southwest facing slope. The mound consists of a terrace and a sub-city.<ref>.</ref> Samsat Höyük as an archaeological site is considered to have been destroyed due to the importance it carries in the dam lake. Today the settlement is under the Euphrates, but before inundation it was 37–40 meters above the plain level and had an area of 500 x 350 meters. The steepest slope is the eastern slope and the lowest slope is the southwest-facing slope. The mound consists of a terrace and a ruined town covered with sediment.<ref>.</ref> Samsat Höyük as an archaeological site is considered to be no longer accessible while it is covered by the waters of the reservoir. The old town of Samosata below the tell was not excavated.<ref>.</ref>

The old town of Samosta below the tell was not excavated <ref>.</ref>

==Geography==
] in the distance.]]
The new Samsat district is a ] surrounded on the three sides by the Atatürk Dam Lake. The distance from the sea to the city center is 47&nbsp;km. The district is a plain that descends to the south.

In the hot summers and dry winters, while the Mediterranean climate is warm and rainy, it is similar to the South East Anatolian climate due to the low relative humidity. However, due to the Atatürk Dam Lake in recent years, the humidity has increased relatively.


==References== ==References==
{{reflist}} {{reflist}}


==Sources==
{{Districts of Turkey|provname=Adıyaman}}
* {{citation|last=Andrade|first=Nathanael J.|date=2013|title=Syrian Identity in the Greco-Roman World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y6IaBQAAQBAJ&q=Lucian+On+the+Syrian+Goddess&pg=PA288|location=Cambridge, England|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-01205-9}}
{{Villages in Samsat District}}
* {{cite book |last1=Beihammer |first1=Alexander Daniel |title=Byzantium and the Emergence of Muslim Turkish Anatolia, ca. 1040-1130 |date=2017 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-138-22959-4}}
* {{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= ]|isbn= 9780520379206}}
* {{cite book |title=The Sasanian Era |year=2008 |publisher= I.B. Tauris |last1=Curtis|first1= Vesta Sarkhosh|last2=Stewart|first2=Sarah|isbn=978-1845116903 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gYsAAwAAQBAJ}}
* {{cite web |last=Fattori |first=Niccolò |url=https://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12615976/index.pdf |title=The Policies of Nikephoros II Phokas in the context of the Byzantine economic recovery |publisher=Middle East Technical University |date=June 2013 }}
* {{cite book |last=Gyselen |first=Rika |title=Commutatio Et Contentio |publisher=Wellem Verlag |year=2010 |isbn=978-1463239886 |editor-last1=Börm |editor-first1=Henning |editor-last2=Wiesehöfer |editor-first2=Josef |pages=71–120 |chapter=Romans and Sasanians in the Third Century. Propaganda warfare and ambiguous imagery}}
* {{EI2|last=Haase|first=C.P.|volume=9|title=Sumaysāṭ|url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-2/sumaysat-SIM_7189}}
* {{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}}

{{Samsat District}}
{{Authority control}} {{Authority control}}


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Latest revision as of 23:43, 17 December 2024

Settlement in Eastern Turkey Municipality in Adıyaman, Turkey
Samsat
Municipality
Samsat is located in TurkeySamsatSamsatLocation in Turkey
Coordinates: 37°34′46″N 38°28′53″E / 37.57944°N 38.48139°E / 37.57944; 38.48139
CountryTurkey
ProvinceAdıyaman
DistrictSamsat
Established12th c. BC
Government
 • MayorHalil Fırat (AKP)
Elevation610 m (2,000 ft)
Population3,790
Time zoneUTC+3 (TRT)
Websitewww.samsat.bel.tr

Samsat (Kurdish: Samîsad, Ottoman Turkish صمصاد Semisat), formerly Samosata (Ancient Greek: Σαμόσατα) is a small town in the Adıyaman Province of Turkey, situated on the upper Euphrates river. It is the seat of Samsat District. The town is populated by Kurds of the Bezikan tribe.

Halil Fırat from the Justice and Development Party (AKP) was elected mayor in the local elections in March 2019. The current Kaymakam is Halid Yıldız.

Samsat was the ancient capital of Kingdom of Commagene. The current site of Samsat is comparatively new, however, being rebuilt in 1989 when the old town of Samosata was flooded during the construction of the Atatürk Dam. As of 2018, reconstruction process had not yet been fully completed. An ancient tell nearby dating back to Paleolithic times has survived to the current day.

Its population was 3,790 in 2022, up from 3,520 in 2017.

History

Antiquity

The city of Samosata was founded sometime before 245 BC on the previous Neo-Hittite site of Kummuh by the Orontid king of Sophene, Sames I. He may have founded the city in order to assert his claim over the area, a common practice amongst Iranian and Hellenistic dynasties, such as Cappadocia, Pontus, Parthia and Armenia. The city was built in a "sub-Achaemenid" Persian architectural form, similar to the rest of Orontid buildings in Greater Armenia. Naming cities such as Samosata (Middle Persian *Sāmašād; Old Persian *Sāmašiyāti-) the "joy of" or "happiness of" was an Orontid (and later Artaxiad) practice that recalled the Achaemenid royal discourse. Samosata served as one of the most important royal residences of the Orontid kings of Sophene.

Coin of Hadrian from Samosata

Like other early-Orontid royal residences, Samosata experienced a sudden shift in its architectural style under the Orontids of Commagene due to their close involvement in the Greco-Roman world. During this period, Samosata was most likely populated by a variety of peoples, descended from Arameans, Assyrians, Neo-Hittites, Armenians, and Persians. Samosata was amongst the places where its ruler Antiochus I Theos (r. 70–31 BC) founded sanctuaries that contained inscriptions about his cult as well as reliefs of his dexiosis with Apollo-Mithras. In 73 AD, Samosata as well as the rest of Commagene was incorporated into the Roman Empire. It may have been during this event that the Syriac letter of Mara bar Serapion was composed. The letter makes mention of an Aramaic-speaking elite in Samosata that studied Greek literature and Stoic philosophy. Under the Roman emperor Hadrian (r. 117–138), Samosata was given metropolis status along with Damascus and Tyre.

Roman legions were later placed in Samosata to discourage the Sasanian Empire (224–651) from attacking it. In 260, it was the first city that was sacked by the Sasanian emperor Shapur I (r. 240–270) following his capture of the Roman emperor Valerian (r. 253–260). Shapur I is known to have had coins minted in the same fashion as the Roman antoninianus, which he may have taken from the material used in the mint of Samosata.

It was at Samosata that Julian II had ships made in his expedition against Shapur II, and it was a natural crossing-place in the struggle between Heraclius and Chosroes in the 7th century.

Samosata was the birthplace of several renowned people from antiquity such as Lucian (c. 120-192) and Paul of Samosata (fl. 260).

Medieval history

Depiction of the Byzantine attack on Samosata in 859, from the Madrid Skylitzes

The Arabs conquered Commagene from the Byzantines in 640. Safwan bin Muattal, a sahabi and commander during the Muslim conquests, was buried in Samosata.

In the tenth century, the town, which was the second biggest in the region after Melitene, was recaptured by the Byzantines. In June 966, Samosata was the venue of an exchange of prisoners between the Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros II Phokas and his Muslim foe Sayf al-Dawla.

After the collapse of Byzantine authority in the region, the town fell into the domain of the Armenian Philaretos Brachamios. At some point after that it fell into the hands of a certain Baluk, on of Amīr Ghāzī, who is mentioned among the army of Ridwan of Aleppo which besieged Edessa in 1095. While he managed to fend off an expedition in 1098 under Baldwin of Boulogne send by the ruler of Edessa, Thoros, he later had to sell the town to Baldwin for 10,000 gold coins upon which it belonged to the county of Edessa.

Warfare in the 13th century devastated Samosata. Rukn ad-Din Sulayman Shah II of the Anatolian Seljuks captured Samosata in 1203. The Anushtegins conquered and looted the town in 1237. The Mongol Emperor Hülagü Khan conquered Samosata in 1240 and the Beylik of Dulkadir conquered the town as well.

Samosata was temporarily absorbed into the Ottoman Empire by Bayazid I in 1392, and in 1401 it was destroyed by Timur. In 1516, the Ottoman Sultan Selim I recaptured it for the Ottomans who renamed it Samsat. It lost its old importance in the Ottoman administration and became the centre of a sanjak.

Modern times

During Turkey's republican period, the population of the town decreased. In 1960, Samsat was made a district center and connected to the province of Adıyaman.

The city of Samsat was evacuated from the old settlement on 5 March 1988 due to the construction of the Atatürk Dam. A new location for the settlement was announced through Law No. 3433 on 21 April 1988. The historical Samsat was submerged in 1989 as the dam created the Atatürk Reservoir. The new town was built beside the new waterline by the Turkish government to house the displaced residents.

The new town of Samsat was destroyed by an earthquake on 2 March 2017. The city was largely rebuilt afterwards.

In Christianity

In the Christian martyrology, seven Christian martyrs were crucified in 297 in Samosata for refusing to perform a pagan rite in celebration of the victory of Maximian over the Sassanids: Abibus, Hipparchus, James, Lollian, Paragnus, Philotheus, and Romanus. Paul the Dynamic Monarchian Bishop of Antioch was born in Samosata in 200; Saint Daniel the Stylite was born in a village near Samosata; Saint Rabbulas, venerated on 19 February, who lived in the 6th century at Constantinople, was also a native of Samosata. A Notitia Episcopatuum of Antioch in the 6th century mentions Samosata as an autocephalous metropolis (Échos d'Orient, X, 144); at the synod that reinstated Patriarch Photius I of Constantinople (the Photian Council) of 879, the See of Samosata had already been united to that of Amida, present-day Diyarbakır. By 586, the titular of Amida bore only this title, meaning the union took place between the 7th and the 9th centuries. Earlier bishops included Peperius, who attended the Council of Nicaea (325); Saint Eusebius of Samosata, a great opponent of the Arians, killed by an Arian woman (c. 380), honoured on 22 June; Andrew, a vigorous opponent of Cyril of Alexandria and of the Council of Ephesus.

Chabot gives a list of twenty-eight Syrian Miaphysite bishops. The Syrian bishopric probably lapsed in the 12th century. Samosata is included in the Catholic Church's list of titular sees, but no further titular bishops have been appointed for that eastern see since the Second Vatican Council.

Archaeology

Samsat Höyük is a tell located just north of the Samsat district of Adıyaman. Archaeological research on the hill of Şehremuz in Samsat has uncovered relics from the 7000 BC Paleolithic era; the 5000 BC Neolithic, 3000 BC Chalcolithic and 3000 to 1200 BC Bronze Ages. The ancient city of Ḫaḫḫum (Hittite: Ḫaḫḫa) was located nearby; it is recorded as a source of gold for ancient Sumeria.

The first excavations were conducted in 1964 and 1967 under the direction of the American archeologist Theresa Goell in anticipation of the site being flooded by a new dam across the Euphrates at . Work in 1964 consisted of a single shallow trench on the acropolis finding only medieval storage vessels. Work in 1967 excavated only down to the Seleucid period. Then, in 1977, under the Lower Euphrates Project, plans were put together aimed at identifying and saving the archaeological settlements that were to be inundated by the reservoir of Karakaya and Atatürk Dams. Surface surveys were conducted under the direction of Mehmet Özdoğan. In these studies, it was concluded that the settlement was permanently inhabited from the Halaf Period to the Ottoman Period. The following year, the excavations started in 1978, except for 1980, until 1987, under Ankara University, Faculty of Language and History-Geography It was conducted by the team led by Nimet Özgüç. These excavations were carried out on a very wide area, including the lower city and surrounding walls.

Coins belonging to the 12th - 13th centuries AD were identified during the excavations in the layers dating to the late phases of the Middle Ages. Of these Seljuk sultans I. Gıyaseddin Keyhusrev (1192–1195), Ala al-Din Keykubbad, (1219-1236), II. Gıyaseddin Keyhusrev (1236-1246), IV. Rükn el-Din The coins of Kılıç Arslan (1257–1264), as well as the coins of Saladin (1170-1193) printed in Harran, were uncovered.

The collection of glassware with cups, glasses and bowls is very rich. Other finds include oil lamps, ivory comb, fragrance bottle, terracotta lamps, bone spoons, leaf-shaped marble sconces and coins.

The walls of the Seljuk Period, built on a solid Byzantine fortress, were preserved intact. The inscription on the limestone of this fortification was studied by a master calligrapher. The landfill belonged to Diyarbekr Şah Karaaslan.

The centre of the palace, which is thought to be the central courtyard, is 14,65 X 20,55 meters and it has a mosaic corner.

The skeletons of five people thrown into a 1.8 meter diameter well of the Islamic Period were found. At the bottom with the skeletons, five gold coins and silver coins from the Abbasid Period were found. One of the gold coins belongs to Harun al-Rashid (766 - 709) and the others to Mutawakkil (822 - 861).

Today the settlement is under the Euphrates, but before inundation it was 37–40 meters above the plain level and had an area of 500 x 350 meters. The steepest slope is the eastern slope and the lowest slope is the southwest-facing slope. The mound consists of a terrace and a ruined town covered with sediment. Samsat Höyük as an archaeological site is considered to be no longer accessible while it is covered by the waters of the reservoir. The old town of Samosata below the tell was not excavated.

References

  1. ^ "Population Of Municipalities, Villages And Quarters". TÜIK. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  2. Avcıkıran, Adem (2009). Kürtçe Anamnez Anamneza bi Kurmancî (in Turkish and Kurdish). p. 56.
  3. Sezen, Tahir (2006). Osmanlı yer adları: alfabetik sırayla. Yayın. Ankara: T.C. Başbakanlık Devlet Arşivleri Genel Müdürlüğü. s.v. Samsat, p. 430. ISBN 978-975-19-3945-6. OCLC 133108331.
  4. İlçe Belediyesi, Turkey Civil Administration Departments Inventory. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  5. Aşiretler raporu (in Turkish) (3rd ed.). Kaynak Yayınları. 2014. p. 14.
  6. Orhan, Mehmet (2020). "Research Methodology in Kurdish Studies. Interactions between Fieldwork, Epistemology and Theory". Anthropology of the Middle East. 15 (1): 8 and 17. doi:10.3167/ame.2020.150102.
  7. "Adıyaman Samsat Seçim Sonuçları - 31 Mart 2019 Yerel Seçimleri". www.sabah.com.tr. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  8. "T.C. Samsat Kaymakamlığı". www.samsat.gov.tr. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  9. Samsat, Gezilecek Yerler.
  10. Samsat’ta kalıcı konutların temelleri atılıyor.
  11. Canepa 2018, p. 109.
  12. Michels 2021, pp. 478–479.
  13. Canepa 2021, p. 84; see also Canepa 2018, p. 110
  14. Canepa 2021, p. 82.
  15. Canepa 2018, p. 110.
  16. Canepa 2021, p. 84.
  17. Andrade 2013, p. 74.
  18. Andrade 2013, p. 77.
  19. Andrade 2013, p. 87.
  20. Andrade 2013, p. 177.
  21. Gyselen 2010, p. 76.
  22. Beihammer 2017, p. 54.
  23. Fattori 2013, p. 117.
  24. ^ Beihammer 2017, p. 285.
  25. Beihammer 2017, p. 256.
  26. "Adıyaman'daki depremde 13 kişi yaralandı, yıkılan binalar var". BBC News Türkçe.
  27. "Samsat ilçesi yeniden inşa ediliyor". 20 March 2022.
  28. Mansi, Conciliorum collectio, XVII-XVIII, 445.
  29. Le Quien, Oriens christianus, II, 994.
  30. Le Quien, Oriens christianus, II, 933-6.
  31. Revue de l'Orient chrétien, VI, 203.
  32. Fiey, J. M. (1993), Pour un Oriens Christianus novus; répertoire des diocèses Syriaques orientaux et occidentaux, Beirut, p. 263, ISBN 3-515-05718-8
  33. Th. B. Goel, "Samosata Archaeological Excavations, Turkey, 1967", National Geographic Society Research Reports, 1967 Projects, pp. 83–109, 1974
  34. Nimet Özgüç, 1985 Yılında Yapılmış Olan Samsat Kazılarının Sonuçları' – 8. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı (1986) Sh.: 297
  35. Nimet Özgüç, 8. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı, p298
  36. Nimet Özgüç, 7. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı, p 227
  37. Nimet Özgüç, Samsat Kazıları 1982' – 5. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı (1983) p111.
  38. Nimet Özgüç, Samsat 1984 Yılı Kazıları, 7. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı (1985) p224.
  39. Nimet Özgüç, 7. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı (1985) Sh.: 226
  40. TAY – Yerleşme Ayrıntıları.
  41. Samsat.

Sources

Samsat District
Municipalities
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