TARSUS in CILICIA 2-1stCenBC Tyche Sandan Lion Pyre Ancient Greek Coin i41639

Item: i41639

Authentic Ancient

Coin of:

Greek city of
Tarsos
in
Cilicia

Bronze 19mm (7.11 grams) Struck 2nd-1st Century B.C.
Reference: Sear 5672 var.

Veiled and turreted head of Tyche right, dotted border.

 Pyre of Sandan, in the form of pyramidal structure, containing figure of Sandan
on lion, surmounting square basis; eagle perched on apex; TAPΣΕΩΝ
in field to right, monogram in field to left.

Hittite/Babylonian sun, storm,
or warrior god, also perhaps associated with agriculture, who the Greeks equated
with Herakles (Hercules) and who the Lydians believed their royal house
descended from. Sardis (Sardes, Sardeis), the capital of Lydia, may have been
named after Sandon. “In honour of Sandan-Heracles there was celebrated every
year in Tarsus a funeral pyre festival, at the climax of which the image of the
god was burned. The dying of nature under the withering heat of the summer sun
and its resurrection to new life was the content of this mystery, which at once
suggests its kinship with the cults of the Syrian Adonis, the Phrygian Attis,
the Egyptian Osiris, and the Babylonian Tammuz.” The pyre of Sandan is featured
on coins of Tarsus. Sandan is also associated on coinage with a lion.

The first city of Cilicia and
capital of the native rulers down to circa 400 B.C., Tarsus was situated in the
fertile eastern plain on the river Kydnos, about 12 miles from the sea. In the
4th century, until the arrival of Alexander in 333 B.C., Tarsus was the chief
mint of the Persian satraps. Eventually, in the 1st century B.C., it became the
capital of the Roman province of Cilicia.

You are bidding on the exact

Guarantee of Authenticity.

Tyche (Greek for luck; the Roman equivalent
was Fortuna
) was the presiding
tutelary deity
that governed the fortune and
prosperity of a city, its destiny. Increasingly during the Hellenistic period,
cities had their own specific iconic version of Tyche, wearing a
mural crown
(a crown like the walls of the
city).

The
Greek historian Polybius
believed that when no cause can be
discovered to events such as floods, droughts, frosts or even in politics, then
the cause of these events may be fairly attributed to Tyche.

Stylianos Spyridakis  concisely expressed Tyche’s appeal in a Hellenistic
world of arbitrary violence and unmeaning reverses: “In the turbulent years of
the Epigoni of Alexander
, an awareness of the
instability of human affairs led people to believe that Tyche, the blind
mistress of Fortune, governed mankind with an inconstancy which explained the
vicissitudes of the time.”

In literature, she might be given various genealogies, as a daughter of
Hermes
and
Aphrodite
, or considered as one of the
Oceanids
, daughters of
Oceanus
and
Tethys
, or of

Zeus. She was connected with
Nemesis
and
Agathos Daimon
(“good spirit”).

She was uniquely venerated at
Itanos
in Crete, as Tyche Protogeneia,
linked with the Athenian
Protogeneia
(“firstborn”), daughter of
Erechtheus
, whose self-sacrifice saved the
city.

She had temples at
Caesarea Maritima
,
Antioch
,
Alexandria
and
Constantinople
. In
Alexandria
the Tychaeon, the temple of
Tyche, was described by
Libanius
as one of the most magnificent of the
entire Hellenistic world.

Tyche appears on many
coins
of the Hellenistic period in the three
centuries before the Christian era, especially from cities in the Aegean.
Unpredictable turns of fortune drive the complicated plotlines of
Hellenistic romances
, such as
Leucippe and Clitophon
or
Daphnis and Chloe
. She experienced a
resurgence in another era of uneasy change, the final days of publicly
sanctioned
Paganism
, between the late-fourth-century
emperors
Julian
and
Theodosius I
who definitively closed the
temples. The effectiveness of her capricious power even achieved respectability
in philosophical circles during that generation, though among poets it was a
commonplace to revile her for a fickle harlot.

In medieval art
, she was depicted as carrying a
cornucopia
, an
emblematic
ship’s rudder, and the
wheel of fortune
, or she may stand on the
wheel, presiding over the entire circle of fate.

The constellation of
Virgo
is sometimes identified as the heavenly
figure of Tyche, as well as other goddesses such as
Demeter
and
Astraea
.

Sandan was the
Anatolian
(Hittite)
lion god during the Classical period. He used to be represented in association
with a horned lion, and often resided inside a pyre surmounted by an eagle.
Sandan was often associated to the Greek god
Herakles
. In ceremonies, an image of the god
was placed inside a pyre and was set on fire.

Sandan appears in the coins of the
Seleucids
, as well as on other coins of
Tarsus
(Cilicia)
during the time of the Roman emperors.

A pyre (Greek:
πυρά, pyrá, from πυρ, pýr, fire), also known as a funeral pyre,
is a structure, usually made of

wood, for burning a body as part of a
funeral
rite. As a form of
cremation
, a body is placed upon the pyre,
which is then set on fire
.

Uses

Religious

The funeral pyre of Chan Kusalo (the Buddhist high monk of Northern
Thailand) at
Wat Chedi Luang
, Chiang Mai,
Thailand

Traditionally, pyres are used for the cremation of the deceased in the
Hindu
and
Sikh
religions, a practice which dates back
several thousands of years.
Funeral pyres were also used in
Viking
culture, typically on floating boats, as
well as by the
Romans
.

Tarsus (Greek:

Ταρσός,

Armenian

: Տարսոն, Darson) is a

historical city
in

south-central Turkey

, 20 km inland from

Mediterranean Sea

. It is part of

Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area

, fourth largest

metropolitan area

in

Turkey
with a

population of 2.75 million. Tarsus is an administrative district in

Mersin Province

and lies in the core of

Çukurova
, a

geographical, economical and cultural region.

With a history going back over 9,000 years Tarsus has long been an important

stop for traders, a focal point of many civilisations including the

Ancient Romans

when Tarsus was capital of the province of

Cilicia
,

scene of the first meeting between

Mark

Antony
and

Cleopatra

and birthplace of

Saint Paul

.

//

 Geography

Located on the mouth of the Tarsus Çay (Cydnus),

which empties into the

Mediterranean Sea

, Tarsus is a junction point of land and sea routes

connecting the Cilician

plain (today called

Çukurova
),

central Anatolia

and the Mediterranean sea. The climate is typical of the

Mediterranean

region, summers very very hot, winters chilly and damp.

Tarsus has a long history of commerce and is still a commercial centre today,

trading in the produce of the fertile Çukurova plain; also Tarsus is a thriving

industrial centre refining and processing that produce same for export.

Industries include agricultural machinery, spare parts, textiles,

fruit-processing, brick building and ceramics.

Agriculture is an important source of income, half of the land area in the

district is farmland (1,050 km²) and most of the remainder is forest and

orchard. The farmland is mostly well-irrigated, fertilised and managed with the

latest equipment.

 Etymology

The ancient name is Tarsos, (Greek:

Ταρσός) possibly derived from a

pagan god, Tarku; at other times the city was named Tarsisi;

Antiochia on the Cydnus (Greek:

Αντιόχεια του Κύδνου,

Latin
:

Antiochia ad Cydnum); and Juliopolis. [Տարսոն, Darson in

Western Armenian

and Tarson in

Eastern Armenian

] . The

Hittites

referred to Tarsus as Tarsa.^[1]

Pegasus

the winged horse was a mortal. Because of his faithful service to Zeus the Greek

god, he was honored with a constellation.[5] On the last day of pegasuses life,

Zeus transformed him into a constellation, then a single feather fell to the

earth near the city of Tarsus {Ταρσός} in Greek.

 History

 Antiquity

 Foundation

and prehistory

Excavation of the mound of Gözlükule reveals that the prehistorical

development of Tarsus reaches back to the

Neolithic Period

and continues unbroken through

Chalcolithic

and

Early Bronze Ages

.

The settlement was located at the crossing of several important trade routes,

linking Anatolia

to Syria

and beyond. Because the ruins are covered by the modern city, archaeology has

barely touched the ancient city. The city may have been of

Semitic

origin; it is mentioned as Tarsisi in the campaigns of

Esarhaddon
,

as well as several times in the records of

Shalmaneser I

and

Sennacherib

. A Greek legend connects it with the memory of

Sardanapalus

(Ashurbanipal), still preserved in the Dunuk-Tach, called ‘tomb

of Sardanapalus’, a monument of unknown origin.

Stephanus of Byzantium

quotes

Athenodorus of Tarsus

as relating another legend:

Much of this legend of the foundation of Tarsus, however, appeared in the

Roman era, and none of it is reliable. The geographer

Strabo
states

that Tarsus was founded by people from

Argos
who were

exploring this coast. Another legend states that the winged horse

Pegasus
was

lost and landed here, hurting his foot, and thus the city was named tar-sos

(the sole of the foot). Other candidates for legendary founder of the

city include the hero

Perseus
and

Triptolemus

son of the earth-goddess

Demeter
,

doubtless because the countryside around Tarsus is excellent farmland. Later the

coinage of Tarsus bore the image of

Hercules
,

due to yet another tale in which the hero was held prisoner here by the local

god Sandon
.

Tarsus has been suggested as a possible identification of the biblical

Tarshish
,

where the prophet Jonah

wanted to flee, but

Tartessos

in Spain is a more likely identification for this. (See further^[2])

 Early

antiquity, Greece and Persia

In historical times, the city was first ruled by the

Hittites
,

followed by Assyria

, and then the

Persian Empire

. Tarsus was the seat of a Persian

satrapy
from

400 BC onward. Indeed,

Xenophon

records that in 401 BC, when

Cyrus the Younger

marched against

Babylon
, the

city was governed by King

Syennesis

in the name of the Persian monarch.

Alexander the Great

passed through with his armies in 333 BC and nearly met

his death here after a bath in the Cydnus. By this time Tarsus was already

largely influenced by

Greek language and culture

, and as part of the

Seleucid Empire

it became more and more

hellenized

. Strabo praises the cultural level of Tarsus in this period with

its philosophers, poets and linguists. The schools of Tarsus rivaled

Athens
and

Alexandria
.

2

Maccabees
(4:30) records its revolt in about 171 BC against

Antiochus IV Epiphanes

, who had renamed the town Antiochia on the Cydnus.

In his time the library of Tarsus held 200,000 books, including a huge

collection of scientific works. The name didn’t last, however, due to the

confusion of so many cities named Antioch.

 Rome

Pompey

subjected Tarsus to Rome, and it became capital of the Roman province of

Cilicia
, the

metropolis where the governor resided. In 66 BC, the inhabitants received Roman

citizenship. To flatter

Julius Caesar

, for a time it took the name Juliopolis. It was also

here that

Cleopatra

and

Mark

Antony
met and was the scene of the celebrated feasts they gave during the

construction of their fleet (41 BC).

When the province of Cilicia was divided, Tarsus remained the civil and

religious metropolis of Cilicia Prima, and was a grand city with palaces,

marketplaces, roads and bridges, baths, fountains and waterworks, a gymnasium on

the banks of the

Cydnus

, and a stadium. Tarsus was later eclipsed by nearby

Adana
, but

remained important as a port and shipyard. Several Roman emperors were interred

here:

Marcus Claudius Tacitus

,

Maximinus

, and

Julian the Apostate

, who planned to move his capital here from Antioch if he

returned from his Persian expedition.^[3]

 Christianity

Tarsus was the birthplace of

Saint Paul

(Acts

9:11; 21:39; 22:3), who returned here after his conversion (Acts 9:30). From

here Barnabas

retrieved him to help with the work in Syrian Antioch (Acts 11:25). Already by

this time a Christian

community probably existed, although the first recorded bishop,

Helenus

, dates only from the third century; Helenus visited

Antioch

several times in connection with the dispute concerning

Paul of Samosata

. Later

bishops of Tarsus

included

Lupus

, present at the

Council of Ancyra

in 314; Theodorus, at the

Council of Nicaea

in 325; Helladius, who was condemned at the

Council of Ephesus

and who appealed to the bishop of Rome in 433; above all

the celebrated exegete Diodorus, teacher of

Theodore of Mopsuestia

and consequently one of the fathers of

Nestorianism

.^[4]

From the sixth century the metropolitan see of Tarsus had seven suffragan

bishoprics;^[5]

the

Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople

archdiocese is again mentioned in

the tenth century (^[6]),

and has existed down to the present day, part of the

Patriarchate of Antioch

.

Owing to the importance of Tarsus, many martyrs were put to death here, among

them being

Saint Pelagia

,

Saint Boniface

,

Saint Marinus

,

Saint Diomedes

,

Saint Quiricus and Saint Julitta

.

At about the end of the tenth century, the Armenians established a diocese of

their rite, which still exists;

Saint Nerses of Lambroun

was its most distinguished representative in the

twelfth century.

A cave in Tarsus is one of a number of places claiming to be the location of

the legend of the

Seven Sleepers

, common to Christianity and Islam.

 Islam

and beyond

The Tarsus region was annexed by the Forces of

Rashidun Caliphate

under the command of

Khalid ibn Walid

in 637. Tarsus was on the edge of the de facto border with

the Byzantine empire in this period of the

Taurus Mountains

range separating the

Armeniac

and

Anatolic

themes

from Cilicia, Syria and northern Iraq. Tarsus was near the

strategically important

Cilician Gates

which passed through the Taurus Mountains as well as access

to the Mediterranean Sea which was used for both land and naval operations

further in the Byzantine territory. While the region was lost by the Byzantine

Emperor Heraclius

in 637, it is unclear when the city was permanently

occupied by the Arabs as sources indicate the city was garrisoned and retaken

multiple times until the 9th century.^[7]

According to the Arabic geographer

Ibn Hawqal

and the accounts of Arab historian Abu Amr Al-Tarsusi, Tarsus was a stronghold

of Muslim forces with thousands of volunteers from across the Islamic world

coming to fight in jihad against the Byzantine Empire. The city was a base of

operations for the regular summer raids (ṣawāʿif) into Byzantine lands

through the Cilician Gates when the mountain snows had melted and passage was

possible. Later the city was used in defense of the frontier in response to a

resurgent Byzantine empire in the mid-10th century.^[8]

The city was lost in 965, when

Nicephorus Phocas

returned it to the

Byzantine Empire

for nearly a century. The area was retaken by the

Seljuk Turks

, recaptured in 1097 during the

Crusades

and then disputed between Latins, Greeks, and Armenians of the

Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia

(Kingdom of Lesser Armenia); these last became

definitively masters until about 1360, when it was captured by the

Ramazanoğlu

Turks. Finally, the area was brought under the control of the

Ottomans

by Selim I

in 1517.

In the Middle Ages Tarsus was renowned throughout the Middle East; a number

of Arab writers praised it as a beautiful and well-defended city, its walls

being in two layers with five gates and earthworks outside, surrounded by rich

farmland, watered by the river and the lake. By 1671 the traveller

Evliya Çelebi

records “a city on the plain, an hour from the sea,

distinct neighbourhoods inside the walls”.

Despite its excellent defences, Tarsus was captured from the Ottomans in 1832

by the

Mamluks

of

Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt

, son of

Muhammad Ali

, and for 8 years remained in the hands of the Egyptians, who

began growing cotton on the surrounding plain. Upon the return of the Ottomans

this cotton drove a substantial growth in the economy of the area, due to

increased world demand for the crop during shortages caused by the

U.S. Civil War

. A new road was built to the port in

Mersin
and the

city of Tarsus grew and thrived. Still today many large houses in the city stand

as reminders of the wealth generated during this period. However after being a

port for 3,000 years, by the end of the 19th century neglect resulted in Tarsus

no longer having access to the sea, and the delta became a swamp. At this point

Tarsus was a typical Ottoman city with communities of Muslim Turks, Christian

Greeks and Armenians

. At the founding of the

Turkish Republic

in the 1920s the swamp was drained and the River Berdan was

dammed to build Turkey’s first hydro-electric power station. Irrigation,

roadworks and a railway brought the economy of Tarsus back to life, with new

factories, particularly producing textiles.

 Life

in Tarsus today

Tarsus has slightly more in the way of culture (cinema, theatre, museums)

than most Turkish country towns, but in many ways still has a small town feel;

people walk in the road rather than on the pavements. Predictably, the people of

the mountain forests in the hinterland have an even quieter rural existence.

The local cuisine includes:

hummus
;

şalgam

(pickled turnips);

tantuni

(a sandwich of grilled meats; the tiny pizzas called “fındık

lahmacun”; and

cezerye
(a

confection made out of carrots).

 Places

of interest

Tarsus has a great many ancient sites of interest, with many in need of

restoration and research. The best known include:

• Cleopatra Gate – to the west of the city, the only ancient city gate

  still standing, where Anthony and Cleopatra entered the city in 41 BC,

  though the “restoration” of this structure has involved covering much of it

  over with shiny new stone (see

  [2]

  for a picture of the gate before the work was done).

• The Roman bridge of Justinian over the Berdan River. Still in good

  condition.

• Tarsus Museum – contains lots of ancient coins and a severed mummified

  arm.

Sites of religious interest and pilgrimage:

• The church and well of St Paul.

• The tomb of the

  Seven Sleepers

  , busy place of pilgrimage for Muslims today.

• The mosque said to be the burial place of the

  Prophet Daniel

  .

From the Turkish era:

• The old baths; the dark brown spots on the white marble walls are said

  to be the bloodstains of

  Shah Meran

  , the legendary Snake King who was killed in an ambush in the

  baths.

• Tarsus American College

  ; founded in the Ottoman period, still active

  today.

• “Nusret

  (Nusrat)” the

  minelayer

  used to defend the straits before the

  Battle of Gallipoli

  is being restored in Tarsus; it is to be part of a

  memorial park to those lost in the fighting.

Places of natural beauty include:

• Tarsus Waterfall; since the construction of the Berdan dam the water of

  the Tarsus river has been distributed in canals for irrigation, with the

  result that the waterfall can now be seen only in seasons of very heavy

  rainfall.

 Notable

residentss

• Antipater

  ,

  Stoic

  philosopher

• Caliph

  Al-Ma’mun

  died near Tarsus

• Journalist

  Oral Çalışlar

  was born in Tarsus.

• Chrysippus

  , Stoic philosopher

• Cleopatra

• Lokman

  the Physician

• Mark Antony

• Saint

  Nerses of Lambron

  , Archbishop of Tarsus in the

  Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia

• Paul the Apostle

  (Saul

  of Tarsus), Christian apostle, missionary, martyr, and saint, was born

  here and returned for a brief period later in life.

• Saint

  Theodore of Tarsus

  ,

  Archbishop of Canterbury

  .

• Tarsus is one of a number of cities that claims to be the burial place

  of

  Bilal ibn Rabah

  , first

  muezzin
  ,

  or caller to prayer, in Islam.

• Tarsus Idman Yurdu

  is the local football team.