Seleucia on Hedyphon
Encyclopedia
Seleucia on Hedyphon was the name of the ancient Assyria
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...

n city of Arrapha
Arrapha
Arrapha was an ancient Assyrian city that existed in what is today the city of Kirkuk, Iraq. The city was founded around 2000 BC and derived its name from the old Assyrian word Arabkha which was later changed to Arrapha...

 during the Hellenistic period (331–129 BCE). It was in eastern Assyria on the bank of the river Hedyphon (Greek: Ἡδυφών).

Known to the Assyrians and to Claudius Ptolemy as Arrapha and Korkoura, the city flourished during the 11th and 10th centuries BCE. Familiar from tales of the saint's lives in East as Beth-Seleucia, it was a city related to many martyrs of the orthodox Christian church. The bishop of the city was John, who was mentioned in the chronicles of king Shapur.

In the Hellenistic period the city was renamed Seleucia, for Seleucus I Nicator
Seleucus I Nicator
Seleucus I was a Macedonian officer of Alexander the Great and one of the Diadochi. In the Wars of the Diadochi that took place after Alexander's death, Seleucus established the Seleucid dynasty and the Seleucid Empire...

 or one of his successors. The locals called it Karkha D- Bet Slokh (citadel of the Seleucid dynasty). Today is located in the city of Kirkuk
Kirkuk
Kirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...

 in northeast Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

.

Sources

  • Johann Gustav Droysen Geschichte des Hellenismus.
  • Claudius Ptolemy Geographia.
  • From Wikipedia to lemma Kirkuk.
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