Sidyma (), was a town of

ancient Lycia Lycia (; Lycian language, Lycian: 𐊗𐊕𐊐𐊎𐊆𐊖 ''Trm̃mis''; , ; ) was a historical region in Anatolia from 15–14th centuries BC (as Lukka lands, Lukka) to 546 BC. It bordered the Mediterranean Sea in what is today the Prov ...

, at what is now the small village of Dudurga Asari in

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 ...

. It lies on the southern slope of

Mount Cragus Mount Cragus or Mount Cragos or Mount Kragos (Greek: ) – also recorded as Hiera Acra – is a mountain in Turkey, in what was formerly ancient Lycia, Asia Minor. It is identified with the modern Sandak Dağ. Strabo (p. 665), whos ...

, to the north-west of the mouth of the Xanthus.

History

The earliest settlement of Sidyma occurred in the iron age. Sidyma was mentioned in the 1st century BC by

Alexander Polyhistor Lucius Cornelius Alexander Polyhistor (; flourished in the first half of the 1st century BC; also called Alexander of Miletus) was a Greek scholar who was enslaved by the Romans during the Mithridatic War and taken to Rome as a tutor. After his r ...

, and later by

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/24 79), known in English as Pliny the Elder ( ), was a Roman Empire, Roman author, Natural history, naturalist, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the Roman emperor, emperor Vesp ...

Stephanus of Byzantium Stephanus or Stephen of Byzantium (; , ''Stéphanos Byzántios''; centuryAD) was a Byzantine grammarian and the author of an important geographical dictionary entitled ''Ethnica'' (). Only meagre fragments of the dictionary survive, but the epit ...

, the

Synecdemus The ''Synecdemus'' or ''Synekdemos'' () is a geographic text, attributed to Hierocles, which contains a table of administrative divisions of the Byzantine Empire and lists of their cities. The work is dated to the reign of Justinian Justinia ...

, and 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 ...

''. The earliest documentation of the city is from 425 BC, where the city is mentioned as belonging to the

Delian League The Delian League was a confederacy of Polis, Greek city-states, numbering between 150 and 330, founded in 478 BC under the leadership (hegemony) of Classical Athens, Athens, whose purpose was to continue fighting the Achaemenid Empire, Persian ...

. In 334 BC

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon (; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), most commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. He succeeded his father Philip ...

came to Lycia and captured the

Xanthos Xanthos or Xanthus, also referred to by scholars as ''Arna'', its Lycian name, (, Lycian: 𐊀𐊕𐊑𐊏𐊀 ''Arñna'', , Latin: ''Xanthus'') was an ancient city near the present-day village of Kınık, in Antalya Province, Turkey. The ru ...

district, of which Sidyma belonged. Later, when the

Lycian League Lycia (; Lycian: 𐊗𐊕𐊐𐊎𐊆𐊖 ''Trm̃mis''; , ; ) was a historical region in Anatolia from 15–14th centuries BC (as Lukka) to 546 BC. It bordered the Mediterranean Sea in what is today the provinces of Antalya and Muğla ...

was first founded in 169 BC, Sidyma was one of the 23 founding cities. During this same period, Sidyma was granted the ability to strike its own currency, of which one coin has been found.O.G. Bean, "SIDYMA (Dudurga Asari) Lycia, Turkey" in Richard Stillwell et alii, ''The Princeton Encyclopaedia of Classical Sites'' (Princeton University Press 1976)
/ref> Within the Roman period Sidyma flourished. According to legend, in the 5th century AD the future

Byzantine Emperor The foundation of Constantinople in 330 AD marks the conventional start of the Eastern Roman Empire, which Fall of Constantinople, fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 AD. Only the emperors who were recognized as legitimate rulers and exercised s ...

Marcian Marcian (; ; ; 392 – 27 January 457) was Roman emperor of the Byzantine Empire, East from 450 to 457. Very little is known of his life before becoming emperor, other than that he was a (personal assistant) who served under the commanders ...

, fell ill while on campaign and was cured by the people of Sidyma, later rewarding them for their kindness. Another version states that while still a simple soldier, he fell asleep while resting on a hunt near Sidyma, and was found to be sheltered by a large eagle, a presage of his future elevation. Extant remains are from the time of the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ruled the Mediterranean and much of Europe, Western Asia and North Africa. The Roman people, Romans conquered most of this during the Roman Republic, Republic, and it was ruled by emperors following Octavian's assumption of ...

, evidence that the site held a flourishing city. While Sidyma was one of the founding cities of the Lycian League, no inscriptions have been discovered there yet.

Contemporary Sidyma

Situated on the site of an ancient Lycian city, the contemporary village of Sidyma now occupies the same space, its homes and pathways intricately woven around the historic ruins that have stood for centuries. Recognising the significant historical and cultural value of this unique juxtaposition of past and present, the Mulga Conservation Commission, in 2008, declared Sidyma a first-class conservation area, ensuring that the preservation of both the modern village and the ancient ruins would be carried out with the utmost care and diligence for future generations to appreciate. The rich history of the region has also led to Sidyma's placement on the

Lycian Way The Lycian Way () is a marked Long-distance trail, long-distance hiking trail in southwestern Turkey around part of the coast of ancient Lycia. It is approximately in length and stretches from Hisarönü (Ovacık, Fethiye, Ovacık), near Fethiy ...

, a long distance trail in southwestern Turkey. Currently, there are different hiking and trekking routes that go through or start from Sidyma. Depending in the route taken, trekkers stay or rest at local

pensions A pension (; ) is a fund into which amounts are paid regularly during an individual's working career, and from which periodic payments are made to support the person's retirement from work. A pension may be either a "defined benefit plan", wher ...

, and explore the ruins of Sidya.

Remains

As Sidyma has never been officially excavated, historical and archaeological speculation has been limited to the visible ruins above the surface. The heavy cover of trees and present occupation have presented obstacles to the excavation of the area. The majority of structures which are visible are from the roman period, with the exception of some structures from the Classical Lycian period, and the remains of churches from the Byzantine period. Acropolis + Agora Sidyma Acropolis

The ruins of Sidyma, high up on the southern slope of Mount Cragus, were first discovered by

Charles Fellows Sir Charles Fellows (31 August 1799 – 8 November 1860) was a British archaeologist and explorer, known for his numerous expeditions in what is present-day Turkey. Biography Charles Fellows was born at High Pavement, Nottingham on 31 August 1 ...

, who described them as consisting chiefly of splendidly built tombs, abounding in Greek inscriptions. On his journey he identified the town as possessing the ruins of a theatre,

agora The agora (; , romanized: ', meaning "market" in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Ancient Greece, Greek polis, city-states. The literal meaning of the word "agora" is "gathering place" or "assembly". The agora was the center ...

and temples, which were of diminutive size, but of great beauty.William Smith, ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography'' (1854)
/ref> These features are still visible on the

acropolis An acropolis was the settlement of an upper part of an ancient Greek city, especially a citadel, and frequently a hill with precipitous sides, mainly chosen for purposes of defense. The term is typically used to refer to the Acropolis of Athens ...

, along with parts of the city walls and an entryway. The north side of the

, evidence of settlements remains nestled amongst contemporary village houses, some of which were constructed using the cut stones remaining in-situ from the ancient city. There is also evidence of an

and accompanying

stoa A stoa (; plural, stoas,"stoa", ''Oxford English Dictionary'', 2nd Ed., 1989 stoai, or stoae ), in ancient Greek architecture, is a covered walkway or portico, commonly for public use. Early stoas were open at the entrance with columns, usually ...

. An inscription on the structure indicates that it was dedicated to the

Emperor Claudius Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; ; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54), or Claudius, was a Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Drusus and Antonia Minor at Lugdu ...

, and purchased by

' doctor Epigapos, and his son Levianus. Additionally there are the remains of a peoples parliament with a

sebasteion 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 ...

to dedicated to

Quintus Veranius Quintus Veranius (died AD 57) was a Roman general around the mid-first century CE. He was ''III vir monetalis'', tribune of Legio IV ''Scythica'' and quaestor under Tiberius. He was appointed tribune of the plebs Tribune of the plebs, tribune ...

. On the east side of the

, there is an inscription indicating the presence of a gymnasium, with some portions of the walls still standing today. Evidence from the

suggests that

Artemis In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, Artemis (; ) is the goddess of the hunting, hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, Kourotrophos, care of children, and chastity. In later tim ...

and

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 ...

were principally worshiped within the city, though there is evidence of the worship of several other gods. Not far from the village centre, and ancient

, also sits the ruins of a

roman bath house In ancient Rome, (from Greek , "hot") and (from Greek ) were facilities for bathing. usually refers to the large imperial bath complexes, while were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed in great numbers throughou ...

where two of the arches remain visible today. Sidyma Necropolis 2

Necropolis The most prolific remains visible in Sidyma today are the graves populating the

necropolis A necropolis (: necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'' (). The term usually implies a separate burial site at a distan ...

. Here, a diversity of graves can be found dating from the Classical Lycian period to the Byzantine period. 40 graves can be identified of different styles. Within the necropolis, there are sarcophagus on podiums, and "a large number of pigeon-hole tombs cut in the cliff on the left hand... reminiscent of

Pinara Pinara ( Lycian: 𐊓𐊆𐊍𐊍𐊁𐊑𐊏𐊆 ''Pilleñni'', presumably from the adjective "round"; , formerly ''Artymnesus'' or ''Artymnesos'' according to one account) was a large city of ancient Lycia at the foot of Mount Cragus (now Mou ...

." Traditional rock-tombs cut into the rock face have also been identified, two of which can be dated to the Roman period based on inscriptions. Close to the village centre rests a monumental grave, notable for its 25 square soffits embedded its ceiling which still remain. In addition to flower rosettes, 8 distinctive portraits are visible. The caliber of this craft is evident of a high standard of work for the city. One of the most important graves within Sidyma is the mausoleum of Flava Nanne, an early priestess in the

Roman Imperial Cult The Roman imperial cult () identified emperors and some members of their families with the divinely sanctioned authority ('' auctoritas'') of the Roman State. Its framework was based on Roman and Greek precedents, and was formulated during the ...

. Located centrally within the ancient city, its columns are from the doric period. File:Sidyma Roman Baths.png, Roman Bath Ruins File:Sidyma Necropolis 1.png, Sidyma Necropolis with Flava Nanne's tomb File:An account of the discoveries in Lycia, being a journal kept during a second excursion in Asia Minor (1841) (14742348476).jpg, Charles Fellow's drawing of Flava Nanne's tomb from the 1800s. File:Flava Nanne's Sarcophagus Ceiling.png, Illustration of the ceiling in Flava Nann'es tomb File:Sidyma Flava Nanne.png, Flava Nanne's Sarcophagus

Ecclesiastical history

Bishopric

Sidyma became a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

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 ...

, a

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Catholic Church, a suffragan bishop leads a diocese within an ecclesiastical province other than the principal diocese, the metropolitan archdiocese; the diocese led ...

of 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 ...

Mira Mira (), designation Omicron Ceti (ο Ceti, abbreviated Omicron Cet, ο Cet), is a red-giant star estimated to be 200–300 light-years from the Sun in the constellation Cetus. ο Ceti is a binary stellar system, consisting of a vari ...

, the capital of the

Roman province The Roman provinces (, pl. ) were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was ruled by a Roman appointed as Roman g ...

Lycia Lycia (; Lycian: 𐊗𐊕𐊐𐊎𐊆𐊖 ''Trm̃mis''; , ; ) was a historical region in Anatolia from 15–14th centuries BC (as Lukka) to 546 BC. It bordered the Mediterranean Sea in what is today the provinces of Antalya and Muğ ...

. The bishop of Sidyma ranked tenth under the metropolitan of Myra. * Its bishop Hypatius was one of the signatories of the letter that the bishops of the province sent in 458 to

Leo I the Thracian Leo I (; 401 – 18 January 474), also known as "the Thracian" (; ), was Eastern Roman emperor from 457 to 474. He was a native of Dacia Aureliana near historic Thrace. He is sometimes surnamed with the epithet "the Great" (; ), probably to ...

with regard to the murder of

Proterius of Alexandria Pope Proterius of Alexandria (died 457) was Patriarch of Alexandria from 451 to 457. He had been appointed by the Council of Chalcedon to replace the deposed Dioscorus. He regarded as hieromartyr by the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic ...

. * Zemarchus was at the

Third Council of Constantinople The Third Council of Constantinople, counted as the Sixth Ecumenical Council by the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches, and by certain other Western Churches, met in 680–681 and condemned monoenergism and monothelitism as heretical a ...

in 680 and the

Trullan Council The Quinisext Council (; , literally meaning, ''Fifth-Sixth Meeting''), i.e., the Fifth-Sixth Council, often called the Council ''in Trullo'', Trullan Council, or the Penthekte Synod, was a church council held in 692 at Constantinople under Ju ...

of 692. * Nicodemus took part in 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. The diocese continued to appear in the ''Notitiae Episcopatuum'' until the 13th century.

Titular see

No longer a residential bishopric, Sidyma 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 Latin

titular bishopric 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 archbish ...

,''Annuario Pontificio 2013'' (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2013 ), p. 971 the diocese being nominally revived in the 19th century.

It is vacant for decades, having had the following incumbents, of the lowest (episcopal) rank : * Antoine Missirli (1808.03.18 – 1824.10.16) * Pierre-Flavien Turgeon (1834.02.28 – 1850.10.03), as

Coadjutor Archbishop The term "coadjutor" (literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadjutor bishop ...

of Québec (Canada) (1834.02.28 – 1850.10.03), later succeeded as Metropolitan Archbishop of

Québec Quebec is Canada's largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, New Brunswick to the southeast and a coastal border ...

(1850.10.03 – 1867.08.25) * Joseph Freusberg (1854.04.07 – 1889.11.14) * Theophile Meerschaert (1891.06.02 – 1905.08.23) * János Ivánkovits (1905.12.11 – 1910.03.31) * Paul-Leon-Cornelius Montaigne (满德胎),

Lazarists The Congregation of the Mission (), abbreviated CM and commonly called the Vincentians or Lazarists, is a Catholic society of apostolic life of pontifical right for men founded by Vincent de Paul. It is associated with the Vincentian Family, ...

(C.M.) (1924.11.25 – 1962.01.09) * Michele Federici (1962.09.22 – 1963.10.27) as

Coadjutor Bishop A coadjutor bishop (or bishop coadjutor) ("co-assister" in Latin) is a bishop in the Latin Catholic, Anglican and (historically) Eastern Orthodox churches whose main role is to assist the diocesan bishop in administering the diocese. The coa ...

Melfi Melfi ( Lucano: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Vulture area of the province of Potenza, in the Southern Italian region of Basilicata. Geographically, it is midway between Naples and Bari. In 2015 it had a population of 17,768. Geography On a ...

(Italy) (1962.09.22 – 1963.10.27), later Archbishop of

Santa Severina Santa Severina () is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Crotone, in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). Name The name derives from ancient Siberine (῾� ...

(Italy) (1963.10.27 – 1973.12.21), Archbishop-Bishop of

Ferentino Ferentino is a town and ''comune'' in Italy, in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, southeast of Rome. It is situated on a hill above sea level, in the Monti Ernici area. History ''Ferentinum'' was a town of the Hernici; it was captured from them ...

(Italy) (1973.12.21 – 1980.11.23),

Archbishop-Bishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...

of Veroli–Frosinone (Italy) (1973.12.21 – 1980.11.23) * Karl Reiterer,

Mill Hill Missionaries The Mill Hill Missionaries (MHM), officially known as the Saint Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill (), is a Catholic society of apostolic life founded in 1866 by Herbert A. Vaughan. History The society was founded in 1866 by Herbert A. ...

(M.H.M.) (1967.02.09 – 1974.12.30)

References

Sources and external links

GCatholic with titular incumbent bio links
{{Authority control Populated places in ancient Lycia Ancient Greek archaeological sites in Turkey Catholic titular sees in Asia Former populated places in Turkey Buildings and structures in Muğla Province Geography of Muğla Province Tourist attractions in Muğla Province Fethiye District Defunct dioceses of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople