Paphlagonia -Amastris 200-100BC. Eagle on thunderbolt &monogram.

Description: Very rare Roman Provincial Paphlagonia -Amastris Eagle on thunderbolt reverse, 23.5 mm,5.4 grams. History Situated in the ancient region ofPaphlagonia, the original city seems to have been called Sesamus (Greek: ), and it is mentioned byHomer in conjunction withCytorus.Stephanussays that it was originally called Cromna (Ancient Greek:); but in another place,where he repeats the statement, he adds, as it is said; but some say that Cromna is a small place in the territory of Amastris, which is the true account. The place derived its name Amastris fromAmastris, the niece of the lastPersiankingDarius III, who was the wife ofDionysius,tyrantofHeraclea, and after his death the wife ofLysimachus. Four small Ionian colonies, Sesamus, Cytorus, Cromna, also mentioned in theIliad,andTium, were combined by Amastris, after her separation from Lysimachus,to form the new community of Amastris, placed on a small river of the same name and occupying a peninsula.According toStrabo, Tium soon detached itself from the community, but the rest kept together, and Sesamus was the acropolis of Amastris. From this it appears that Amastris was really a confederation or union of three places, and that Sesamus was the name of the city on the peninsula. This may explain the fact thatMela mentions Sesamus and Cromna as cities of Paphlagonia, while omitting Amastris. The territory of Amastris produced a great quantity ofboxwood, which grew on the nearbyMount Cytorus. Its tyrant Eumenes presented the city of Amastris toAriobarzanes of Pontusin c. 265260 BC rather than submit it to domination by Heraclea, and it remained in thePontickingdom until its capture byLucius Lucullusin 70 BC in thesecond Mithridatic War. The youngerPliny, when he was governor ofBithyniaandPontus, describes Amastris, in a letter toTrajan,as a handsome city, with a very long open place (platea), on one side of which extended what was called a river, but in fact was a filthy, pestilent, open drain. Pliny obtained the emperor's permission to cover over this sewer. On a coin of the time of Trajan, Amastris has the titleMetropolis. It continued to be a town of some note to the seventh century of our era. From Amasra got its name an important place of Constantinople, theAmastrianum.Arrianwrites that the Amastris was a Greek city, which had a port for ships. He also adds that it was 90stadiafrom the riverPartheniusand 60 stadia from theErythini The city was not abandoned in theByzantineEra, when the acropolis was transformed into a fortress and the still surviving church was built. It was sacked bythe Rusduring theFirst Russo-Byzantine Warin the 830s. Speros Vryonis states that in the 9th century a "combination of local industry, trade, and the produce of its soil made Amastris one of the more prosperous towns on the Black Sea." In the 13th century Amastris exchanged hands several times, first becoming a possession of theEmpire of Trebizondin 1204, then at some point in the next ten years being captured by theSeljuk Turks, until finally in 1261, in her bid to monopolize the Black Sea trade, the town came under the control of theRepublic of Genoa. Genoese domination ended when theOttomanSultanMehmed IIconquered the wholeAnatolianshores of the Black Sea. The ancient Greek writer Myronianus (Ancient Greek:), was from the Amastris.Ecclesiastical historyEdit The bishopric of Amastris was established early: according toEusebius, its congregation received a letter from the second-century bishop,Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth, wherein he names their bishop, one Palmas.[19]The see was initially asuffraganof themetropolitanofGangra, capital of theRoman provinceofPaphlagonia. In the late 8th century its bishop obtained from theByzantine Emperorits elevation to the rank of autocephalousarcheparchy. It is listed as such in theNotitia Episcopatuumattributed to Basil the Armenian (c. 840) and in that ofLeo VI the Wise(early 10th century). In the middle of the 10th century it obtained the rank of Metropolitan see without suffragans, a rank it held until, due to the diminution in the number of Christians in the area, it was suppressed. From the 14th century to the second half of the 15th, the town was also the seat of a bishopric of theLatin Church.[20][21][22] Latin titular see No longer a residential bishopric, Amastris (Curiate ItalianAmastri) is today listed by theCatholic Churchas a titular see. The diocese was nominally restored in the 19th century as a Latin Catholictitular bishopricand had the following incumbents of the episcopal (lowest) rank: Titular Michael Francis Howley (1892.04.28 1895.01.05) asApostolic VicarofWestern Newfoundland(Canada) (1892.04.28 1895.01.05), later Bishop ofSaint Johns, Newfoundland(Canada) (1895.01.05 1904.02.08), promoted first Metropolitan Archbishop of Saint Johns, Newfoundland (1904.02.08 1914.10.15) Titular Bishop Antonio Maria Roveggio,Comboni Missionaries(F.S.C.I.) (1895.02.08 1902.05.02), Apostolic Vicar ofCentral Africa(Anglo-Egyptian Sudan) (1895.02.08 death 1902.05.02) Titular Bishop John Joseph OGorman,Holy Ghost Fathers(C.S.Sp.) (1903.09.14 death 1935.04.13), as Apostolic Vicar ofSierra Leone(Sierra Leone) (1903.11.09 1932) In 1929 it was promoted totitular archbishopric. It is vacant as such since decades, having had the following incumbents of the archiepiscopal (intermediary) rank: Titular Archbishop Efrem Hykary (1936.07.22 death 1958.02.09), asPatriarchal VicarofAntioch of the Syriacs(Lebanon) (1936.07.22 1958.02.09) Titular Archbishop Teopisto Valderrama Alberto (1959.09.07 1965.04.06), asCoadjutor ArchbishopofCaceres(Philippines) (1959.09.07 1965.04.06), later succeeded as Metropolitan Archbishop of Caceres (1965.04.06 retired 1983.10.20) Main sights With its architectural heritage, Amasra is a member of theNorwich-basedEuropean Association of Historic Towns and Regions. Archaeological Museum: there is a fine medium-sized archaeological museum by the sea with remains from both land and underwater. Of particular interest is a statue of the snake god Glykon, a fraudulent creation of a local entrepreneur during Roman imperial times. Panoramic view of the town Amasra Castle Amasra Castlewas built during the Roman period. The walls of the castle were built by the Byzantines. The front walls and gates were built by the Genoese in the 14th and 15th centuries.Though located on a narrow peninsula, a tunnel under the castle leads to a fresh water pool. Fatih Mosque It was originally built as a Byzantine church in the 9th century AD. The churchnarthexsection consists of three parts. After the Ottoman SultanMehmed IIconquered Amasra in 1460, it was converted to a mosque. It is open to prayers. There is also a chapel on the same street but it is closed to prayers since 1930. Amasra church mosque Bird's Rock Road Monument Bird's RockRoad Monument was created between AD 41-54 by the order ofBithynia et PontusGovernor Gaius Julius Aquila. It was a resting place and monument. At the time whenClaudiuswas the Roman Emperor, Aquila was the commander of the building army in the eastern provinces.It is located a little outside Amasra, and is easily accessed by steps leading from the roadside. Bird's Rock Road Monument

Price: 95 USD

Location: Reading, Pennsylvania

End Time: 2025-01-08T18:19:21.000Z

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