Satala
Encyclopedia
Located in Turkey
, the city of Satala ( Satał), according to the ancient geographers, was situated in a valley surrounded by mountains, a little north of the Euphrates
, where the road from Trapezus
to Samosata
crossed the boundary of the Roman Empire
. Later it was connected with Nicopolis by two highways.
This site must have been occupied as early as the annexation of Lesser Armenia
under Vespasian
. Trajan
visited it in 115 and received the homage of the princes of the Caucasus and the Euxine. It was he doubtless who established there the Legio XV Apollinaris
and began the construction of the great castra stativa (permanent camp) which it was to occupy till the 5th century. The town must have sprung up around this camp; in the time of Ptolemy it was already important. In 530 the Persians were defeated
under its walls. Justinian I
constructed more powerful fortifications there, but these did not prevent Satala from being captured in 607-8 by the Persians.
Satala is now Sadak, a village of 500 inhabitants, in the vilayet of Gümüşhane (see Gümüşhane Province
) as part of Kelkit
district. The remains of the camp still exist strewn with fragments of brick bearing the stamp of the legion; there are also the ruins of an aqueduct, of an amphitheatre and of Justinian's citadel; some Latin and Greek inscriptions, the latter Christian, have been discovered.
The Christians were numerous in the time of Diocletian. Le Quien, Oriens Christianus, I, 431, mentions seven of its bishops:
The see is mentioned in the Notitiae episcopatuum
until the thirteenth century, and we know the name of the bishop, Cosmas, in 1256.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, the city of Satala ( Satał), according to the ancient geographers, was situated in a valley surrounded by mountains, a little north of the Euphrates
Euphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
, where the road from Trapezus
Trapezus
Trapezus, Trapezounta, and Trapezounta can refer to:*Trabzon, an ancient settlement on the Black Sea in Turkey.*Trapezus, a city in the province Arcadia in Greece...
to Samosata
Samosata
Samosata was an ancient city on the right bank of the Euphrates whose ruins existed at the modern city of Samsat, Adıyaman Province, Turkey until the site was flooded by the newly-constructed Atatürk Dam....
crossed the boundary of the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. Later it was connected with Nicopolis by two highways.
This site must have been occupied as early as the annexation of Lesser Armenia
Lesser Armenia
Lesser Armenia , also known as Armenia Minor and Armenia Inferior, refers to the Armenian populated regions, primarily to the West and North-West of the ancient Armenian Kingdom...
under Vespasian
Vespasian
Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...
. Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
visited it in 115 and received the homage of the princes of the Caucasus and the Euxine. It was he doubtless who established there the Legio XV Apollinaris
Legio XV Apollinaris
Legio quinta decima Apollinaris was a Roman legion. It was recruited by Octavian in 41/40 BC. The emblem of this legion was probably a picture of Apollo, or of one of his holy animals....
and began the construction of the great castra stativa (permanent camp) which it was to occupy till the 5th century. The town must have sprung up around this camp; in the time of Ptolemy it was already important. In 530 the Persians were defeated
Battle of Satala (530)
The Battle of Satala was fought between the forces of the Eastern Roman Empire and the Sassanid Empire in summer 530, near Satala in Byzantine Armenia. The Persian army approached the city to lay siege, when it was attacked in the rear by a small Byzantine force. The Persians turned back to meet...
under its walls. Justinian I
Justinian I
Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...
constructed more powerful fortifications there, but these did not prevent Satala from being captured in 607-8 by the Persians.
Satala is now Sadak, a village of 500 inhabitants, in the vilayet of Gümüşhane (see Gümüşhane Province
Gümüshane Province
Gümüşhane Province is a province in northern Turkey, bordering Bayburt to the east, Trabzon to the north, Giresun and Erzincan to the west. It covers an area of 6,575 km² and has a population of 129,618 in 2010. The population was 186,953 in 2000. The name Gümüşhane means silver house...
) as part of Kelkit
Kelkit
Kelkit is a town and district of Gümüşhane Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. According to the 2010 census, population of the district is 39,547 of which 13,784 live in the town of Kelkit. The district covers an area of , and the town lies at an elevation of .Kelkit is one of the cities of...
district. The remains of the camp still exist strewn with fragments of brick bearing the stamp of the legion; there are also the ruins of an aqueduct, of an amphitheatre and of Justinian's citadel; some Latin and Greek inscriptions, the latter Christian, have been discovered.
The Christians were numerous in the time of Diocletian. Le Quien, Oriens Christianus, I, 431, mentions seven of its bishops:
- Evethius, at Nicaea, 325
- Elfridius, 360
- Poemenius, about 378
- Anatolius, 451
- Epiphanius, 458
- Gregory, 692
- Philip, 879.
The see is mentioned in the Notitiae episcopatuum
Notitiae Episcopatuum
The Notitiae Episcopatuum are official documents that furnish Eastern countries the list and hierarchical rank of the metropolitan and suffragan bishoprics of a church....
until the thirteenth century, and we know the name of the bishop, Cosmas, in 1256.