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Pamphylia
A map showing Pamphylia's location within the Roman Empire
Photo of a 15th Century map showing Pamphylia.
In ancient geography, Pamphylia was the region in the south of Asia Minor, between Lycia
and Cilicia, extending from the Mediterranean to Mount Taurus (modern day Antalya
province, Side,Turkey). It was bounded on the north by Pisidia and was therefore a country of
small extent, having a coast-line of only about 75 miles with a breadth of about 30 miles.
Under the Roman administration the term Pamphylia was extended so as to include Pisidia
and the whole tract up to the frontiers of Phrygia and Lycaonia, and in this wider sense it is
employed by Ptolemy.
Origins of the Pamphylians
There can be little doubt that the Pamphylians and Pisidians were the same people, though the
former had received colonies from Greece and other lands, and from this cause, combined
with the greater fertility of their territory, had become more civilized than their neighbours in
the interior. But the distinction between the two seems to have been established at an early
period. Herodotus, who does not mention the Pisidians, enumerates the Pamphylians among
the nations of Asia Minor, while Ephorus mentions them both, correctly including the one
among the nations on the coast, the other among those of the interior. The early Pamphylians,
like the Lycians, had an alphabet of their own, partly Greek, partly "Asianic," which a few
inscriptions on marble and coins preserve. The legend related by Herodotus and Strabo, which
ascribed the origin of the Pamphylians to a colony led into their country by Amphilochus and
Calchas after the Trojan War, is merely a characteristic myth. Probably the Pamphylians were
of Asiatic origin and mixed ethnicity.
History
Ruins of the main street in Perga, capital of Pamphylia, Asia Minor
The region of Pamphylia first enters history in Hittite documents. In a treaty between the
Hittite Great King Tudhaliya IV and his vassal, the king of Tarhuntassa, we read of the city
"Parha" (Perge), and the "Kastaraya River" (Classical Kestros River, Turkish Aksu Çayı).
The first historical mention of "Pamphylians" is among the group of nations subdued by the
Mermnad kings of Lydia; they afterwards passed in succession under the dominion of the
Persian and Hellenistic monarchs. After the defeat of Antiochus III in 190 BC they were
included among the provinces annexed by the Romans to the dominions of Eumenes of
Pergamum; but somewhat later they joined with the Pisidians and Cilicians in piratical
ravages, and Side became the chief centre and slave mart of these freebooters. Pamphylia was
for a short time included in the dominions of Amyntas, king of Galatia, but after his death
lapsed into a district of a Roman province. The Pamphilians became largely hellenized in
Roman times, and have left magnificent memorials of their civilization at Perga, Aspendos
and Side.
As of 1911 the district was largely peopled with recent settlers from Greece, Crete and the
Balkans, a situation which changed considerably as a result of the disruptions attendant on the
fall of the Ottoman Empire and the war between Greece and Turkey in the 1920s.
Aspendos
History
Aspendus was an ancient city in Pamphylia, Asia Minor, located about 25 miles (40 km) east
of the modern city of Antalya, Turkey. It was situated on the Eurymedon River (now the
Kopru River) about 10 miles (16 km) inland from the Mediterranean Sea. The Greek spelling
of the name is Aspendos. According to tradition, the city was founded around 1000 B.C. by
Greeks who may have come from Argos. The wide range of its coinage throughout the
ancient world indicates that, in the 5th century B.C., Aspendus had become the most
important city in Pamphylia. At that time the Eurymedon River was navigable as far as
Aspendus, and the city derived great wealth from a trade in salt, oil, and wool.
In 333 B.C. Aspendus paid Alexander the Great a levy to avoid being garrisoned, but it
ignored its agreements with him and later was occupied. In 190 B.C. the city surrendered to
the Romans, who later pillaged it of its artistic treasures. Toward the end of the Roman period
the city began a decline that continued throughout Byzantine times.
Aspendos is known for having the best-preserved theater of antiquity. With diameter of 96
meters (315 ft), the theater provided seating for 7,000.[1]
theater Aspendos
The theater was built in 155[1] by the Greek architect Zenon, a native of the city, during the
rule of Marcus Aurelius. It was periodically repaired by the Seljuks who used it as a
caravanserai.
Perga
Perga, now commonly spelled "Perge" and pronounced "per-geh", was the capital of the then
Pamphylia region, which is in modern day Antalya province on the southwestern
Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Today it is a large site of ancient ruins 15 km east of Antalya
in the coastal plain. Located there is an acropolis dating back to the Bronze Age.[1]
Ruins at Perga
Contents
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1 History
2 Remains
3 Ecclesiastical history
4 Notes
5 Sources and external links
History
In the twelfth century BC, there was a large wave of Greek migration from northern Anatolia
(in modern day Turkey) to the Mediterranean coast. Many settled in the area immediately east
of the area of modern-day Antalya, which came to be known as Pamphylia, meaning "land of
the tribes". Four great cities eventually rose to promincence in Pamphylia: Perga, Sillyon,
Aspendos and Side.
Perga itself was founded in around 1000 BC and is nearly 20km inland. It was sited inland as
a defensive measure in order to avoid the pirate bands that terrorized this stretch of the
Mediterranean.
In 546 BC, the Achaemenid Persians defeated the local powers and gained control of the
region. Two hundred years later, in 333 BC, the armies of Alexander the Great arrived in
Perga during his war of conquest against the Persians. The citizens of Perga sent out guides to
lead his army into the city.
Alexander's was followed by the diadoch empire of the Seleucids, under whom Perga's most
celebrated ancient inhabitant, the mathematician Apollonius (c.262 BC – c.190 BC), lived and
worked. Apollonius was a pupil of Archimedes and wrote a series of eight books describing a
family of curves known as conic sections, comprising the circle, ellipse, parabola and
hyperbola.
Roman rule began in 188 BC, and most of the surviving ruins today date from this period.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire, Perga remained inhabited until Selcuk times, before
being gradually abandoned.
Remains
Perga is today an archaeological site and a major tourist attraction. Ancient Perge, one of the
chief cities of Pamphylia, was situated between the Rivers Catarrhactes (Duden sou) and
Cestrus (Ak sou), 60 stadia from the mouth of the latter; the site is in the modern Turkish
village of Murtana on the Suridjik sou, a tributary of the Cestrus, formerly in the Ottoman
vilayet of Koniah. Its ruins include a theatre, a palæstra, a temple of Artemis and two
churches. The very famous temple of Artemis was located outside the town.
Tour guides tell the story that Perga is the birthplace of Beer, allegedly discovered by
accident; but recent finds of Pharaonic beer predate the city by far.
http://www.anatolia.luwo.be/index.htm?Perge.htm&1
Side
Restanten van de oude Tempel
De vissershavenSide was een antieke havenstad in Pamphylië, ongeveer 16 kilometer van
Seleucia. Tegenwoordig is het vooral bekend als toeristische attractie en badplaats aan de
Turkse Rivièra. Het ligt tussen de steden Antalya en Alanya, nabij de plaatsen Manavgat en
Selimiye.
Side ligt aan het oostelijk deel van de Pamphylische kust, ongeveer 20 kilometer oostelijk van
de monding van de Eurymedon rivier. Kolonisten uit Cyme in Aeolië, een antiek district in
Klein-Azië, stichtten de stad in de 7e eeuw v.Chr.. Dankzij de goede natuurlijke haven voor
kleine bootjes, werd Side een belangrijke handelsplaats in Pamphylië – het gebied in zuidelijk
Klein-Azië tussen Lycië, Cilicië, de Middellandse Zee en het gebergte Taurus.
Gedurende de 6e eeuw v.Chr. maakte Side deel uit van het Lydische rijk. Het verkreeg
gedeeltelijke autonomie onder Perzische heerschappij na 547 v.Chr.. Side sloeg zijn eigen
munten vanaf de 5e eeuw v.Chr., zelfs toen het nog onder Perzische heerschappij viel.
Alexander de Grote bezette Side zonder verdere strijd 333 v.Chr.. Alexander liet slechts een
enkel garnizoen achter om de stad te bezetten. De bezettende macht bracht de bevolking in
contact met de Hellenistische cultuur, die de stad zou domineren van de 4e eeuw v.Chr. tot de
1e eeuw v.Chr.. Na Alexanders dood kwam de stad onder controle van een van Alexanders
generaals, Ptolemeus, die zichzelf in 305 v.Chr. uitriep tot koning van Egypte. Het
Ptolemeaeïsche rijk beheerste Side tot het werd verslagen door het Seleucidische rijk in de 2e
eeuw v.Chr.. Ondanks deze bezettingen, slaagde Side erin een mate van zelfstandigheid te
behouden, en zich te ontwikkelen tot een welvarend en belangrijk cultureel centrum in de
regio.
In 190 v.Chr. versloeg een vloot van het Griekse eiland Rhodos, met ondersteuning van het
Romeinse Rijk en het koninkrijk Pergamon, de vloot van de Seleucidische koning Antiochus
III de Grote, die onder bevel stond van de voorvluchtige Carthaagse generaal Hannibal. De
nederlaag van Hannibal en Antiochus bevrijdde Side van de heerschappij van het
Seleucidische rijk. In de 1e eeuw v.Chr. vestigden Cilicische zeerovers hun hoofdkwartier en
een belangrijke slavenhandelspost in Side.
Side kwam onder controle van het Romeinse Rijk nadat de Romeinse generaal Pompeius deze
vrijbuiters in 67 v.Chr. versloeg. Keizer Augustus deelde Pamphylië (en Side) in 25 v.Chr. in
bij de provincie Galatia. Dit leidde een nieuwe periode van voorspoed voor Side in als een
handelscentrum in Klein-Azië, die zou voortduren tot ruim in de 3e eeuw. Wederom werd
Side hierbij het centrum van de slavenhandel in het Middellandse-Zeegebied. Tevens was de
grote commerciële vloot geregeld betrokken bij piraterij. De meeste ruïnes in het huidige Side
stammen uit deze welvarende periode. Rijke handelaren betaalden bij wijze van belasting
voor openbare werken en prestigieuze gebouwen, maar ook voor spelen en
gladiatorengevechten.
Het verval van Side begon vanaf de 4e eeuw. Dikke stadsmuren konden opeenvolgende
invasies van bewoners van de Taurus niet voorkomen. In de 7e eeuw werd Side geplunderd en
platgebrand door diverse Arabische vloten. Ten slotte werd de stad in de 12e eeuw verlaten
toen hij na een opleving wederom geplunderd werd. De bevolking verhuisde grotendeels naar
Antalya, en naar Side werd geleidelijk aan verwezen als Eski Adalia (Oud-Antalya).
De historische binnenstad ligt op een schiereilandje van ongeveer 1 km lengte en 400 m
breedte. In de hele stad zijn restanten van vroegere tijden te zien. Er zijn bijvoorbeeld
restanten van een oude Griekse tempel, en een theater te zien.
Pamphylian Greek
Pamphylian is a little-attested dialect of Ancient Greek which was spoken in Pamphylia, on
the southern coast of Asia Minor.
Its origins and relation to other Ancient Greek dialects are uncertain.
Sidetic language
The Sidetic language is a member of the extinct Anatolian branch of the Indo-European
language family known from legends of coins dating to the period of approx. the 5th to 3rd
centuries BC found in Side at the Pamphylian coast. The Greek historian Arrian mentions the
existence of a peculiar indigenous language in the city of Side. Sidetic was probably closely
related to Lydian, Carian and Lycian.
Side theater
Pamphylië
Pamphylië was in klassieke oudheid een gebied in zuidelijk Klein-Azië tussen Lycië and
Cilicië, zich uitstrekkend tussen de Middellandse Zee en het gebergte Taurus. Aan de
noordzijde grensde het aan Pisidië en het was derhalve niet erg groot (ca. 110 bij 45 km).
Onder Romeins bestuur werd de naam Pamphylië gebruikt voor het gebied dat naast Pisidië
ook een heel gebied tot aan de grenzen van Phrygië en Lycaonië omvatte, en in deze bredere
betekenis wordt de streek aangeduid door Ptolemeus.
Pisidië
Pisidië was een Romeinse provincie in Zuid-Turkije, nabij het huidige Antalya. De provincie
lag ten noorden van Lycië en de provincie grensde aan Carië, ten het westen van Phrygië en
ten het zuiden van Pamphylië. Steden in de provincie zijn Termessos, Selge, Cremna,
Sagalassos, Etenna, Antiochia, Neapolis, Tyriacum, Laodiceia Katakekaumene en
Philomelium.
Termessos
Muur van de bovenstad in Termessos.Termessos (ook wel Termessus) is een antieke stad op
iets meer dan 1000 meter hoogte op de flanken van de berg Solymus (nu Güllük Dagop), zo'n
25 km van Antalya, die de tand des tijds redelijk heeft doorstaan. De antieke bewoners
noemden zich volgens hun inscripties Solymnianen, de originele bewoners van Pamphylië.
Hun taal moet een dialect van het Pisidees zijn geweest. In de literatuur maakt de stad voor
het eerst zijn opwachting in de Ilias, in samenhang met het verhaal over Bellerophon. In de
historische bronnen duikt Termessos echter niet eerder op dan rond 334 v.Chr., wanneer
Alexander de Grote door het gebied trekt en de stad niet aanvalt vanwege de strategisch sterke
ligging hoog in de bergen. Termessos kende twee bloeiperiodes, de eerste in het
Hellenistische tijdperk, en later in de Romeinse periode als 'vrienden en bondgenoten' van het
Romeinse volk.
De stad werd verlaten tussen de vijfde en zevende eeuw. Omdat de ruines duidelijke
aardbevingsschade vertonen, is het redelijk te veronderstellen dat een aardbeving aanleiding
was om de stad te verlaten. De restanten van de stad omvatten onder meer een gymnasium,
een amfitheater, verscheidene tempels (o.a. voor Artemis, Zeus Solymeus en keizer
Hadrianus), een necropolis, en enkele stadmuren.
Selge
Sagalassos
Antioch, Pisidia
Antioch in Pisidia – alternatively Antiochia in Pisidia or Pisidian Antioch (Greek:
Αντιόχεια της Πισιδίας) and in Roman Empire, Latin: Antiochia Caesareia or Antiochia
Caesaria – is a city in the Turkish Lake District, which is at the crossroads of the
Mediterranean, Aegean and Central Anatolian regions, and formerly on the border of Pisidia
and Phrygia, hence also known as Antiochia in Phrygia. The site lies approximately 1 km
northeast of Yalvaç, the modern town of Isparta Province. The city is on a hill with its highest
point of 1236 m in the north.
Contents
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1 Geography
2 History of Antioch
o 2.1 Prehistory
o 2.2 Hellenistic age
o 2.3 Roman period
o 2.4 Early Christian-Byzantine period
3 Archaeology
4 Acropolis and fortifications
5 City plan
6 Tour of Antioch
o 6.1 City gate
o 6.2 The waterfall
o 6.3 The theatre
o 6.4 Central church
o 6.5 Tiberia platea
o 6.6 Propylon
o 6.7 Augusteum/Sebasteion (sanctuary of the imperial cult)
o 6.8 Nympheum and water supply system
o 6.9 The Bath
o
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6.10 Stadium
6.11 The great basilica
7 The sanctuary of Men Askaenos
8 Yalvaç museum
o 8.1 The Pre-History Hall
o 8.2 The Classical Hall
o 8.3 Ethnographic Hall
o 8.4 The Garden
9 References
10 External links
Geography
The city is surrounded by, on the east the deep ravine of the Anthius River which flows into
Lake Egirdir, with the Sultan Mountains to the northeast, Mount Karakus to the north,
Kızıldag (Red Mountain) to the southeast, Kirişli Mountain and the northern shore of Lake
Egirdir to the southwest.
Although very close to Mediterranean on the map, the warm climate of the south cannot pass
the height of the Taurus Mountains. Owing to the climate, there is no timberland but crop
plants grow in areas provided with water from the Sultan Mountains, whose annual average
rainfall is c. 1000 mm on the peaks and 500 mm on the slopes. This water feeds the plateau
and Antioch. The other Pisidian cities Neapolis, Tyriacum, Laodiceia Katakekaumene and
Philomelium founded on the slopes, benefited from this fertility.
The acropolis has an area of 460,000 square metres (115 acres) and is surrounded by fortified
defence walls. The Territorium of the settlement can be seen from the Temple of Men in the
sanctuary of Men Askaenos on a hill to the southeast. The Territorium of the city is estimated
to have been approximately 1,400 km² in ancient times. According to the 1950 census, there
were 40 villages with 50,000 people living in the area. The population during the Roman
period must have been a little more than this.
The constantly irrigated fertile soil of the land is very suitable for growing fruits and for
husbandry. For the veterans (retired Roman legionaries) who came from poorer parts of Italy
during the Roman period, agriculture must have been the driving force for integration of the
colonies into the area. The modern town of Yalvaç is the second biggest in Isparta province
with an area of 14,000 km² The population in the centre is 35,000, the total is c. 100,000. The
town is 230 km from Antalya, 180 km from Konya, 105 km from Isparta and 50 km from
Akşehir, via the main road.
History of Antioch
Prehistory
It has been a tradition to claim that the city dates back to the 3rd century BC and that it was
founded by the Seleucid Dynasty, one of the Hellenistic kingdoms. But the history of the city
cannot be separated from the history of the Lake District and of Pisidia. Researches done in
the area have shown habitation since the Paleolithic age.
During the excavations and surveys made by D.M. Robinson and the University of Michigan
around Yalvaç in 1924 it was shown that finds from surrounding mounds date back to the 3rd
millennium BC.
In Antioch itself, no finds have been found from the Proto-Hittite, Hittite, Phrygian or Lydian
civilisations, but we learn from Hittite records that the region was named “Arzawa” and that
independent communities lived in the region. These people did not come under the yoke of
the Hittites, but fought beside them against the Egyptians in the Battle of Kadesh.
Over the ages, people were able to live independently in the Pisidian region because of its
strategical position. Even the Persians, who conquered Anatolia in the 6th century BC, and
attempted to rule the area by dividing it into satrapies, were unable to cope with constant
uprisings and turmoil.
The approach of some researchers who would like to connect the cult of Men Askaenos with
the cult of the Phrygian Mother Goddess Cybele is also controversial. The worship of Cybele,
traces of which can be seen in Antioch, is not a result of Phrygian influence: the idea of a
Mother Goddess dates back to the Neolithic age as is shown by idols and figurines exhibited
in Yalvaç Museum.
Hellenistic age
After the death of Alexander the Great, Seleucus I Nicator, founder of the Seleucid Dynasty,
took control of Pisidia. Captured places were Hellenised and, in order to protect the
population, fortified cities were founded at strategically important places, usually on an
acropolis. Seleucus I Nicator had nearly 60 cities founded, and gave to 16 of them the name of
his father Antiochos. Colonists were brought from Magnesia on the Maeander to found
Pisidian Antioch (the Land of Antiochus).
Meanwhile, fights for the sharing of Anatolia continued and were complicated by the
Galatians coming in from Europe. The self-interested Hellenistic dynasties could not expel the
Galatians from the interior, but Antiochus I Seleucos fought against them in 270 BC in the
Taurus Mountains and defeated them by the help of elephants, which the Galatians had never
seen before. The historian Lucian reported the comment of Antiochos: ”It’s a great shame that
we owe our liberation to 16 elephants”. Anyway, Antiochos celebrated his victory when he
returned to Syria and was given the title of ”Soter” (Saviour).
The most reasonable approach is that Antioch was founded by Antiochus I Soter as a military
base to control the Galatian attacks because it was on the border of the regions of Pisidia and
Phrygia. The foundation of Antioch indicates a date of the last quarter of the 3rd century BC,
but archeological finds at the Sanctuary of Men Askaenos in the northeast date back to the 4th
century. This indicates that there had been earlier classical cultures in the area.
Roman period
While the Hellenistic Kingdoms (the inheritors of Alexander the Great) were fighting each
other and the Galatians, Rome became the most powerful state in Europe and started to follow
a policy of expansion to the east. They participated in fights for sharing the heritage of
Alexander as the inheritance of classical culture and began invading Macedon, Thrace and the
Dardanelles and they reached Phrygia via Magnesia and Pisidia. They cowed the Galatians
and according to the treaty signed in Apamea in 188 BC, they gave the land of Pisidia which
they had got from Antiochos III, to their ally the Pergamon Kingdom which dominated the
region. Attalos III, the last king of Pergamon, bequeathed his kingdom to Rome on his death
in 133 BC Aristonikos who claimed Pergamon was defeated in 129, then Rome affected
Anatolia with its well-developed, creative culture for centuries.
Although Anatolia was dominated by the Roman Empire as the province of Asia, Pisidia was
given to the Kingdom of Cappadocia, which was an ally of Rome. During the following years,
the authority gap which could not be filled by these kingdoms remote from central
government, led to the rise of powerful pirate kingdoms, especially in Cilicia and Pisidia. The
Romans were disturbed by these kingdoms and fought against them. Cilicia, Pampylia,
Phrygia and Pisida were freed from pirates and Roman rule was restored in 102 BC.
The geographical and strategical position of the region made it difficult to control the area and
maintain constant peace. The Homonadesians, settled in the Taurus Mountains between
Attalaia and Iconion, caused problems for Rome. Marcus Antonius who had to control the
roads connecting Pisidia to Pamphylia, charged his allied king Amyntas, King of Pisidia, to
fight against Homonadesians, but Amyntas was killed during the struggle.
Then Rome started to colonize using military legions as a solution to the failure of the locally
appointed governors. The Province of Galatia was established in 25 BC and Antioch became a
part of it. To support the struggle against the Homonadesians logistically, the construction of
a road called the Via Sebaste, the centre of which was Antioch, was started by the governor of
the Province of Galatia, Cornutus Arrutius Aquila. The Via Sebaste was separated into two
and directed to the southwest and southeast to surround the Homonadesians. Secondary
connecting roads were built between these two roads. Rome thanks to the Via Sebaste and
P.Sulpicius Quirinius wiped the Homonadesians out from history in 3 BC.
During the reign of Augustus, eight colonies were established in Pisidia, but only Antioch was
honoured with the title of Caesareia and given the right of the “Ius Italicum”, maybe because
of its strategic position. The city became an important Roman colony which rose to the
position of a capital city with the name of “Colonia Caesareia”.
Hellenisation became Latinisation during the Roman period and it was applied in Antioch
best. The city was divided into seven quarters called “vici” all of which were founded on
seven hills like in Rome. The formal language was Latin till the end of the 3rd century A.D.
The fertilitiy of the land and the peace brought by Augustus (Pax Romana: Roman Peace)
made it easier for the veterans as colonists in the area to have good relations and integration
with the natives.
Munt van Caracalla
One of the three surviving copies of “Res Gestae Divi Augusti”, the famous inscription
recording the noble deeds of the Emperor Augustus was found in front of the Augusteum in
Antioch. The original was carved on bronze tablets and exhibited in front of the Mausoleum
of Augustus in Rome, but unfortunately has not survived. The Antioch copy on stone was
written in Latin which is a sign of the importance of the city as a military and cultural base of
Rome in Asia. (One of the copies, in Greek and Latin, is in Ankara, the other, in Greek, in
Apollonia -Uluborlu).
Early Christian-Byzantine period
Antioch was a capital city for many different cultures because of the economic, military and
religious activities of the region. This is the reason why Paul of Tarsus gave his first sermon
to the Gentiles (Acts 13:13–52}, and visited the city once on each of his missionary journeys,
helping to make Antioch a center of Christianity in Anatolia.
The Emperor Constantine’s liberalization of Christianity in 311 and the passing of new laws
supporting it, caused people to adopt themselves to the new religion. Antioch played an
important role as a metropolitan city at meetings of the church councils. It became the capital
city of the Christian Pisidian Province, founded in the 4th century and welcomed the mayor of
state and archbishop.
In the 6th century two reasons that had helped Antioch to become a colony and gain
importance — the fight for sharing Anatolia and the civil wars — had both ceased. It was still
an important centre of Christianity, but like many other colonies it remained off the main
trade route, and it started to lose its importance.
The Eastern Roman Empire directed its economic, political and military power to the
southeast because the warriors of a new religion from the Arab Peninsula were invading the
furthest borders of the Empire. The Arab raids from the sea and land weakened the empire,
the capital city Constantinople was surrounded by Arabs several times. Anatolian cities were
damaged by these raids, especially after the time of the crusaders, and they started to be
deserted. In the 8th century the raids increased. The fiercest of all against Antioch was
conducted by Abbas, the Caliph's son, in 718 during the reign of Caliph Velid. Antioch never
recovered and hundreds years of glamour vanished.
In Antioch, which was visited by crusaders as well, a new people appeared in the 11th
century: the Seljuk Turks, who captured the area and founded the Anatolian Seljuk Empire
(Sultanate) in Central Anatolia. Until the 12th century Antioch was a base where soldiers
stopped for a rest, constantly changing hands. On 11 September 1176, the armies of the
Eastern Roman Empire and the Seljuk Sultanate met at Myriokephalon (thousand heads),
whose exact location is not know; but it is widely accepted that it is somewhere near Yalvaç.
The Great Sultan Kılıçarslan won the battle against Manuel Commenos. After the battle the
treaty signed in Antioch between Kılıçarslan and Manuel led to the introduction of the
Turkish culture which survives to the present day.
The Turks preferred to settle down in the valley instead of on the acropolis because they now
controlled the whole of Central Anatolia. They did not need defence walls and the valley was
very suitable for agriculture. The names of most captured cities were not changed by the
Turks, but since the name of Antioch had already been forgotten and there were no Christians
in the region anymore, the city was named "Yalvac" which means “Prophet”, which reminds
us of Saint Paul.
http://www.lsa.umich.edu/kelsey/antioch/A2/index.html