Ceramus or Keramos () is a city on the north coast of the

Ceramic Gulf A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelai ...

—named after this city—in

ancient Caria Caria (; from Greek: Καρία, ''Karia''; ) was a region of western Anatolia extending along the coast from mid- Ionia ( Mycale) south to Lycia and east to Phrygia. The Carians were described by Herodotus as being Anatolian mainlanders ...

, in southwest

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 ...

; its ruins can be found outside the modern village of Ören,

Muğla Province Muğla Province (, ) is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality of Turkey, at the country's southwestern corner, on the Aegean Sea. Its area is 12,654 km2, and its population is 1 ...

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 ...

History

Ceramus, initially subjected to Stratonicea, afterwards autonomous, was a member of the

Athenian League The Athenian League was an England, English amateur association football, football league for clubs in and around London. The league was originally to be called the Corinthian League,Athenian Football League minutes 1912-1921 (National Football ...

and was one of the chief cities of the

Chrysaorian League The Chrysaorian League (, ''systema Chrysaorikon'') was an informal loose federation of several cities in ancient region of Caria, Anatolia that was apparently formed in the early Seleucid period and lasted at least until 203 BC. The League had i ...

(Bulletin de corresp. hellén., IX, 468). It probably had a temple of Zeus Chrysaoreus. In

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

times, it coined its own money. Polites () of Ceramus was a famous runner who won three different races in the same day at the Olympia.

Ecclesiastical history

Ceramus is mentioned 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 ...

'' until the 12th or 13th century as a

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

suffragan to

Aphrodisias Aphrodisias (; ) was a Hellenistic Greek city in the historic Caria cultural region of western Asia Minor, today's Anatolia in Turkey. It is located near the modern village of Geyre, about east/inland from the coast of the Aegean Sea, and s ...

, or Stauropolis. Three bishops are known: Spudasius (Σπουδάσιος), who attended the

First Council of Ephesus The Council of Ephesus was a council of Christian bishops convened in Ephesus (near present-day Selçuk in Turkey) in AD 431 by the Roman Emperor Theodosius II. This third ecumenical council, an effort to attain consensus in the church th ...

in 431; Maurianus (Μαυριανός), who attended the Council of Nicaea in 787; and Symeon (Συμεών), who attended the council in

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

that reinstated

Photius Photius I of Constantinople (, ''Phōtios''; 815 – 6 February 893), also spelled ''Photius''Fr. Justin Taylor, essay "Canon Law in the Age of the Fathers" (published in Jordan Hite, T.O.R., and Daniel J. Ward, O.S.B., "Readings, Cases, Mate ...

in 879. Ceramus is included in 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 ...

's list of

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 ...

s.''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2013, ), p. 866

Ancient coins

Obol, Keramos, Caria, 2nd century BC.jpg, Obol from Ceramus. It has the head of the god

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

and a

Bucranium Bucranium (; , , referring to the skull of an ox) was a form of carved decoration commonly used in Classical architecture. The name is generally considered to originate with the practice of displaying garlanded, sacrificial oxen, whose heads we ...

, 2 BC. Keramos coin depicting Zeus, Caria, 2nd-1st century BC.jpg, Coin depicting the god Zeus Chrysaoreus and an eagle, 1 AD - 2 AD.

Gallery

Keramos (Karia); römische Ruinen, circa 1. bis 2. Jahrhundert nach Christus.jpg, Roman ruins, approx. 1st to 2nd century AD. Keramos (Karia); römische Brücke östlich von Keramos; ca. 1. bis 2. Jahrhundert nach Christus.jpg, Roman bridge east of Keramos; approx. 1st to 2nd century AD. Keramos (Karia); griechische Befestigungsanlagen aus vorchristlicher Zeit.jpg, Greek fortifications from pre-Christian times in the village of Ören, Keramos (Karia); römisches Viadukt; ca. 1. bis 2. Jahrhundert nach Christus.jpg, Roman viaduct; approx. 1st to 2nd century AD near Ören, Ören (Milas), röm. Ruinen von Keramos.JPG, Roman ruins in the north iof Keramos, approximative, 2nd century AD.

References

External links

Archaeological Atlas of the Aegean
* Archaeological sites in the Aegean region Populated places in ancient Caria Catholic titular sees in Asia Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Turkey Former populated places in Turkey Geography of Muğla Province History of Muğla Province Milas District Members of the Delian League {{Asia-RC-titularsee-stub