Английская Википедия:Arsamosata

Содержание

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Distinguish Arsamosata (Middle Persian *Aršāmšād; Old Persian *Ṛšāma-šiyāti-, Шаблон:Lang-grc, Шаблон:Lang-hy) was an ancient and medieval city situated on the bank of the Murat River, near the present-day city of Elâzığ. It was founded in Шаблон:Circa by Arsames I,Шаблон:Sfn the Orontid king of Sophene, Commagene and possibly Armenia.Шаблон:Sfn The city served as a central center and royal residence of the Orontids of Sophene. The origin of its name was Persian, meaning "Joy of Arsames".Шаблон:Sfn Naming cities such as the "joy of" or "happiness of" was an Orontid (and later Artaxiad) practice that recalled the Achaemenid royal discourse.Шаблон:Sfn

It was left and destroyed in the 1st century BC. In the Middle Ages, it was called Ashmushat. In Roman and Byzantine times, it bore the names Armosota (Ἀρμόσοτα) and Arsamosota (Ἀρσαμόσοτα). It was also known in Byzantine times as Asmosaton.Шаблон:Rp It was called Shimshāṭ in Arabic. A prominent native of Arsamosata was the 10th-century poet Abu'l-Hasan Ali al-Shimshati.

Arsamosata has been identified with the abandoned settlement site known as Haraba, Шаблон:Rp located by the Murat Su, near the east end of the Altınova plain, some 60 km east of Elazig,. Much of the site now lies submerged under the waters of the Keban Dam. The hill that served as the former city's citadel now juts out toward the northeast into a shallow lake created by the dam.Шаблон:Rp The city itself appears to have been just below the hill on the southeast, although this is not entirely certain.Шаблон:Rp

History

Limited archaeological evidence, consisting of a few pottery finds that strongly resemble Urartian ceramics, point to the existence of a settlement at Arsamosata in ancient times - perhaps between the 10th and 7th centuries BCE.Шаблон:Rp However, any settlement here was probably not very significant.Шаблон:Rp The main Urartian settlement in the region was at Harput, which seems to have served as a fortified administrative center.Шаблон:Rp Another large settlement existed at Norşuntepe, although it was unfortified during this period.Шаблон:Rp The local population was at least partly Urartian; there may have also been members of the Mushki people present.Шаблон:Rp

The ancient towns at Harput and Norşuntepe dispersed around the Achaemenid period.Шаблон:Rp From then until the foundation of Arsamosata in the mid-3rd century BCE, the Altınova plain had no large towns.Шаблон:Rp Arsamosata may have been founded as a display of prestige.Шаблон:Rp Its original population was probably mostly drawn from the surrounding villages.Шаблон:Rp Its location was probably chosen because its distance from the region's main route, which came through the Ergani pass to Tomisa further west, made it relatively safe from attack.Шаблон:Rp However, being off the main trade route also meant that Arsamosata was not a major commercial center during this period.Шаблон:Rp Its economy was mostly based on agriculture instead.Шаблон:Rp

In late antiquity, Arsamosata formed one of the main settlements in the district of Anzitene.Шаблон:Rp The nearby city of Dadima appears to have grown due to commerce from Ergani and Tomisa by the late 6th century, probably absorbing some of Arsamosata's population.Шаблон:Rp However, Arsamosata remained a major city with a mixed population of Armenians and Assyrians.Шаблон:Rp

Later, in the period after the Arab conquest, Dadima shrank to a small town, probably because it was close to the Arab-Byzantine border and therefore prone to attack.Шаблон:Rp Many of its residents moved to Arsamosata, which was in a safer position further east.Шаблон:Rp Some of Melitene's population probably moved to Arsamosata at this point as well.Шаблон:Rp With Dadima's decline, Arsamosata was now the lone major city in the region.Шаблон:Rp

However, despite its more secure position, Arsamosata still lay in a contested region, and it changed hands several times during this period. A Byzantine offensive in 837, led by the emperor Theophilos, captured Arsamosata along with Melitene.Шаблон:Rp By autumn 938, the city was back under Arab control - the Hamdanid amir Sayf al-Dawla retreated toward Arsamosata that autumn while being pursued by Byzantine forces.Шаблон:Rp In 939, according to James Howard-Johnston, Arsamosata fell to the Byzantines again.Шаблон:RpШаблон:Refn

After the Byzantine conquest, Arsamosata was made the capital of a small andШаблон:Refn This theme probably only covered the immediately surrounding plains to the north and east; i.e. the easternmost part of Anzitene.Шаблон:Rp In the 970s, the theme of Arsamosata was broken up.Шаблон:Rp Arsamosata shrank to a medium-sized town and some of its population probably migrated to Harput, the new main capital of the region.Шаблон:Rp A garrison was still kept at Arsamosata's citadel, but the town walls were probably now too big for the dwindling settlement within and must have fallen into disuse.Шаблон:Rp

Arsamosata still existed under the Artukid principality of Harput, but it was no longer a major city.Шаблон:Rp It survived until at least 1199, when its bishopric is last attested, and probably continued into the early 13th century as well.Шаблон:Rp When Yaqut al-Hamawi visited Arsamosata in the early 13th century, he found it "in ruins, with only a tiny population". The citadel garrison was eventually withdrawn at some point, possibly after the Seljuk conquest of Anzitene in 1234, and Arsamosata was finally abandoned.Шаблон:Rp Its population dispersed to villages on the surrounding plain and in the hills beyond.Шаблон:RpШаблон:Refn

The name "Arsamosata" continued to be used until modern times, to denote a group of several villages near where the old city had once stood.Шаблон:Rp As of the 20th century, there were seven of them, collectively known as "Arşimşat" (from the Arabic form of the city's name).Шаблон:Rp The closest one to the old city was Haraba (from Arabic "kharaba", meaning "ruin"), about half a kilometer to the southwest of the ruins.Шаблон:Rp A local tradition recorded around the turn of the 20th century held that there had once been a large city here, divided into two parts called "Samusat" and "Ashmushat".Шаблон:Rp

Even before the construction of the Keban Dam, the city ruins (below the citadel) were already underwater due to the meandering of the Murat Su, and by the mid-20th century not much of them remained visible. However, one traveler reported seeing some khachkars here.Шаблон:Rp Archaeologists conducted excavations at the citadel before the dam was built, in 1969, 1970, and 1973.Шаблон:Rp They dug six trenches, mostly on the southeast side of the hill where walls were already visible.Шаблон:Rp

Bishopric

Arsamosata was historically the seat of a Syriac Orthodox bishop which was responsible for the entire surrounding district of Anzitene.Шаблон:Rp Its last mention is in 1199.Шаблон:Rp

No longer a residential bishopric, Arsamosata is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see.

Sources

• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite book

Шаблон:Coord