Acmonia or Akmonia () is an ancient city of Phrygia Pacatiana, in

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

, now known as Ahat Köyü in the district of Banaz, Uşak Province. It is mentioned by

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

and was a point on the road between Dorylaeum and

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. Under the Romans, it was within the conventus iuridicus of Apamea.

Bishopric

Acmonia was the seat of a bishop in antiquity. It appears in the ''

Notitiae Episcopatuum The ''Notitiae Episcopatuum'' (singular: ''Notitia Episcopatuum'') were official documents that furnished for Eastern countries the list and hierarchical rank of the metropolitan and suffragan bishoprics of a church. In the Roman Church (the mos ...

'' from the 10th to the 12th or 13th century. The first bishop whose name is known is Optimus, who was transferred to the

metropolitan see Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ...

of Antiochia in Pisidia before 381. Gennadius took part in the Council of Chalcedon in 451. Theotimus signed in 459 the decree of Patriarch Gennadius I of Constantinople against the simoniacs. Paulus was at the

Second Council of Nicaea The Second Council of Nicaea is recognized as the last of the first seven ecumenical councils by the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. In addition, it is also recognized as such by Old Catholic Church, Old Catholics and others. ...

in 787. Eustathius was a both the Council of Constantinople (869) and the

Council of Constantinople (879) The Fourth Council of Constantinople was held in 879–880. It confirmed the reinstatement of Photius I as patriarch of Constantinople. The result of this council is accepted by the Eastern Orthodox as having the authority of an ecumenical c ...

. Somewhat less certain is the attribution to this diocese of Basilius, who participated in the Third Council of Constantinople in 680. He is recorded as bishop of Κολωνία Πακατιανή (Colonia of the province of Pacatiana) but, as there is no record of such a diocese, it is thought that Κολωνία is a mistake for Ἀκμωνία (Acmonia). No longer a residential bishopric, Acmonia is today listed by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

as a

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbi ...

.''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ), p. 823

Excavations

In 2000, a large mosaic floor depicting a gymnasium was discovered in Acmonia. Despite the emergency excavations, which started on 26 June 2000, one part of the mosaic was stolen from the excavation site. The stolen parts were later recovered in Istanbul after a police raid in 2002.

Jewish community

The Jewish synagogue in Acmonia, funded by Ioulia Severa during Nero's reign, stands as the most documented synagogue in Phrygia. where in

Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68) was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his ...

's reign, Ioulia Severa, a descendant of Galatian royalty, funded its construction. This patronage, however, does not necessarily imply personal sympathy toward

Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...

, as it may have been influenced by complex family and official connections. The synagogue leadership was closely aligned with the city's leadership, indicating significant support from influential figures. While the conditions for Jews in Acmonia seemed favorable during Ioulia Severa's time, it's uncertain if these conditions persisted over subsequent decades. In the third century, there's a notable increase in evidence related to Jews in Acmonia, including gravestones invoking biblical curses against violators of graves. These inscriptions demonstrate the integration of Jewish liturgical practices into the community and suggest that Jewish members held influential positions within the city.

References

;Notes ;Sources *Nezih Başgelen, "Çalınan Geçmiş, Yitirilen Miras. Akmoneia (Ahatköy) Mozaikleri." ''Arkeoloji ve Sanat'' 22(2000).97: 23-25.

External links

"Ancient Akmonia to be protected", ''Turkish Daily News'' May 19, 2005
* {{coord, 38.658994, N, 29.7714539, E, display=title, format=dms, source:http://dare.ht.lu.se/places/21277 History of Uşak Populated places in Phrygia Former populated places in Turkey Byzantine sites in Anatolia Populated places in Banaz District Catholic titular sees in Asia

Bishopric

Excavations

Jewish community

See also

References

Further reading

External links