Open this page in a new tab

Samosata

Samsat in Google Earth

Click on image to explore in Google Earth in a new tab


Names
Transliterated Name Source Name
Samsat Modern Turkish
Samîsad Kurdish
Sāmašād Middle Persian
Sāmašiyāti Old Persian
Semisat Ottoman Turkish صمصاد
Samosata Greek Σαμόσατα
Kummuh Neo-Hittite
Introduction
Introduction

Samosata, currently known as Samsat, has a long occupational history having been founded by Orontid King Sames I sometime before 245 BCE on top of the previous Neo-Hittie site of Kummah. In 73 CE, Samosata along with the rest of Commagene was incorporated into the Roman Empire and in 640 CE, Samosata was taken over by the Arab Rashudin Caliphate. During Roman and some Byzantine times, a Roman Legion, Legio XVI Flavia Firma, was stationed in Samosata. In the 10th century, the town was recaptured by the Byzantine Empire after which it was ruled and/or conquered by a succession of Armenian, Crusader, Turkish, and Mongol forces - among others. The town suffered from the warfare of the 13th century and was temporarily absorbed into the Ottoman Empire in 1392 CE before being destroyed by Timur in 1401 CE. In 1516 CE, it was recaptured and absorbed back into the Ottoman Empire and was given a new name - Samsat. Samsat is currently under water due to the construction of the Ataturk Dam. Prior to flooding the site, excavations were carried out on the acropolis from 1978 to 1989.

Samosata from The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites



Aerial Views and Photos
Aerial Views and Photos

Aerial Views

  • Samsat in Google Earth
    Samsat in Google Earth

    Click on image to explore in Google Earth in a new tab

Photos

  • View of the Tell of Samosata
    View of the Tell of Samosata in the distance in the Euphrates Valley (before flooding ?)

    Doliche and Kommagene
    in the Euphrates Valley (before flooding ?) from Doliche and Kommagene
  • View of the urban area of
    View of the urban area of Samosata

    Doliche and Kommagene
    Samosata from Doliche and Kommagene

Notes and Further Reading
References

Articles and Books

Goell, T. (1974). Samosata Archeological Excavations, Turkey 1967, National Geographic Society.

References from Pleiades

Evidence:
See Further:
See Also:
Related:

References from doliche.de

  • F. K. Dörner - R. Naumann, Foschungen in Kommagene, IstForsch 10 (Berlin 1939)
  • K. Humann - O. Puchstein, Reisen in Kleinasien und Nordsyrien: ausgeführt im Auftrage der Kgl. preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Beschrieben von Karl Humann und Otto Puchstein (Berlin 1890)
  • G. Iacopi, Dalla Paflagonia alla Commagene: relazione sulla prima campagna esplorativa 13. September 1935 – 14. November 1935 (Rom 1936)
  • M. Özdoğan, Lower Euphrates Basin: 1977 Survey, Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Aşağı Fırat Projesi yayınları 1, 2 (Istanbul 1977)
  • Ü. Serdaroğlu, 1975 surveys in the lower Euphrates basin, Lower Euphrates Project Publications Series I, 1 (Ankara1977) 
  • A. A. Tirpan, Roman masonry techniques at the capital of the Commagenian kingdom, in: D. H. French - C. S. Lightfoot (Hrsg.), The Eastern frontier of the Roman Empire. Proceedings of a colloquium held at Ankara in September 1988 (1989) 519–526
  • L. Zoroĝlu, Samosata. Ausgrabungen in der Kommagenischen Hauptstadt, in: J. Wagner (Hrsg.), Gottkönige am Euphrat. Neue Ausgrabungen und Forschungen in Kommagene (Mainz 2000) 74–83
  • Ch. Crowther - M. Facella, A New Commagenian Nomos Text from Samosata, in: E. Winter (Hrsg.), Von Kummuh nach Telouch. Archäologische und historische Untersuchungen in Kommagene, Dolichener und Kommagenische Forschungen IV, AMS 64 (Bonn 2011) 355–366

Websites

Samosata at Pleiades

Samasota at doliche.de

Samasota at topostext.org

Samasota in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica

Wikipedia pages

Samsat



Kummah



Legio XVI Flavia Firma



Atatürk Dam



Theresa Goell (archaeologist)