Ancoz is the name used in academic literature for an ancient settlement, which is located below the
Atatürk Reservoir in the modern state of
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. It is located in the modern town of
Eskitaş, which used to be called Ancoz.
Location
The ancient settlement, whose name is unknown, was in
Commagene
Commagene () was an ancient Greco-Iranian kingdom ruled by a Hellenized branch of the Orontid dynasty, Orontids, a dynasty of Iranian peoples, Iranian origin, that had ruled over the Satrapy of Armenia. The kingdom was located in and around the ...
, north of the
Euphrates
The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...
, on the Chabinas (modern
Cendere Çayı), opposite the ancient city of Charmodara. On the hill where the acropolis was located there were two large springs. Both cities are now under the
Atatürk Reservoir.
History
During the
Neo-Hittite
The states called Neo-Hittite, Syro-Hittite (in older literature), or Luwian-Aramean (in modern scholarly works) were Luwian and Aramean regional polities of the Iron Age, situated in southeastern parts of modern Turkey and northwestern parts o ...
period (1200-700 BC), Ancoz was a sanctuary site, where the gods
Runtiya and
Ala-Kubaba were worshipped, with dedicatory inscriptions from King and his son Hattusili. Later, the Commagenian king
Antiochus I Theos (69-36 BC) had a sanctuary for the royal cult built - from which many Greek inscriptions survive. This was one of a series of similar sanctuaries built by the same king; the most significant of which was visible from Ancoz:
Nemrut Dağı
Mount Nemrut or Nemrud (; ; ; Greek language, Greek: Όρος Νεμρούτ) is a mountain in southeastern Turkey, notable for the summit where a number of large statues are erected around what is assumed to be a royal tomb from the 1st century ...
.
The
Luwian hieroglyphic inscriptions: Ancoz 1 (lower part), , , , und , are kept in the
Adıyaman Archaeological Museum. The upper part of Ancoz 1 is in
Adana Archaeology Museum and the location of the rest is unknown.
Bibliography
* J. Wagner & G. Petzl, "Relief- und Inschriftfragmente des kommagenischen Herrscherkultes aus Ancoz." in G. Heedemann et al. ''Neue Forschungen zur Religionsgeschichte Kleinasiens : Elmar Schwertheim zum 60. Geburtstag gewidmet''.
* J. David Hawkins, "Gods of Commagene: The cult of the Stag-God in the inscriptions of Ancoz." in et al.: ''Diversity and Standardization'' Akademie Verlag, 2013, {{ISBN, 978-3-05-005756-9. pp. 65–80.
External links
Neo-Hittite Inscriptions of Ancoz
Archaeological sites in Southeastern Anatolia
Hittite sites in Turkey
Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Turkey
Commagene
History of Adıyaman Province