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 (; , from ) is a historical region in Central Anatolia region, Turkey. It is largely in the provinces of Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. Today, the touristic Cappadocia Region is located in Nevşehir ...

, in what is today

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 ...

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

Faustinopolis Faustinopolis (), 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 in a village there. Her husband, b ...

, near the pass of Mount Taurus 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 ...

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

Valens Valens (; ; 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 Byzantine Empire, eastern half of the Roman Em ...

(364-378), the town is mentioned in the '' itineraria'', 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 (''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 (, formerly ) is a municipality and district of Adana Province, Turkey. Its area is 899 km2, and its population is 19,852 (2022). The town is in the highlands of Çukurova, and is a major gateway to the Mediterranean coasts. Pozant ...

, 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