Padyandus or Podyandos (), also Paduandus, Podandos or Podandus (Πόδανδος), and appearing corrupted in ancient sources as Opodanda, Opodandum, and Rhegepodandos (Ῥεγεποδανδός) was an ancient town in Cataonia, the southernmost part of

Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Re ...

, in what is today

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...

. The town was located about 40 km to the southeast of

Faustinopolis Faustinopolis ( grc, Φαυστινόπολις), also Colonia Faustinopolis and Halala, was an ancient city in the south of Cappadocia, about 20 km south of Tyana. It was named after the empress Faustina, the wife of Marcus Aurelius, who died the ...

, near the pass of

Mount Taurus The Taurus Mountains ( Turkish: ''Toros Dağları'' or ''Toroslar'') are a mountain complex in southern Turkey, separating the Mediterranean coastal region from the central Anatolian Plateau. The system extends along a curve from Lake Eğird ...

known by the name of the

Cilician Gates The Cilician Gates or Gülek Pass is a pass through the Taurus Mountains connecting the low plains of Cilicia to the Anatolian Plateau, by way of the narrow gorge of the Gökoluk River. Its highest elevation is about 1000m. The Cilician Gates ha ...

( Ptol. v. 7. § 7.). Extended by the emperor

Valens Valens ( grc-gre, Ουάλης, Ouálēs; 328 – 9 August 378) was Roman emperor from 364 to 378. Following a largely unremarkable military career, he was named co-emperor by his elder brother Valentinian I, who gave him the eastern half of ...

(364-378), the town is mentioned in the ''

itineraria An ''itinerarium'' (plural: ''itineraria'') was an ancient Roman travel guide in the form of a listing of cities, villages ( ''vici'') and other stops on the way, including the distances between each stop and the next. Surviving examples include ...

'', but its name assumes different forms; as Paduandus ( Tab. Peut.), Podandos ( It. Ant. p. 145), Mansio Opodanda ( It. Hieros. p. 578), and Rhegepodandos ( Hierocl. p 699). The place is described by

Basilius ''Basileus'' ( el, ) is a Greek term and title that has signified various types of monarchs in history. In the English-speaking world it is perhaps most widely understood to mean "monarch", referring to either a "king" or an "emperor" and a ...

(''Epist.'' 74) as one of the most wretched holes on earth. It is said to have derived its name from a small stream in the neighborhood. (Const. Porphyr. ''Vit. Basil.'' 36; comp. Cedren. p. 575; Jo. Scylitz. ''Hist.'' pp. 829, 844.) Due to similarity of name, tradition assigns the location of Padyandus to that of

Pozantı Pozantı ( gr, Πενδοσις, Pendhòsis, formerly ar, الْبَدَندُون, el-Bedendûn) is a town and a district in the Adana Province of Turkey. The town is in the highlands of Çukurova, and is a major gateway to the Mediterranean c ...

, a position that modern scholars only tentatively accept.

References

Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Turkey Roman towns and cities in Turkey Populated places in ancient Cappadocia Populated places in ancient Cataonia Former populated places in Turkey Populated places of the Byzantine Empire History of Adana Province {{Byzantine-geo-stub

See also

References