Cataonia
| Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R) |
Cataonia was one of the divisions of ancient Cappadocia in Turkey. Cataonia is mentioned by Pliny. [1]
Variants
- Catanes (Anabasis by Arrian, p.246, 247.). catanes is plural of catán.[2]
- Cataonia (Pliny.vi.2, Pliny.vi.3, Pliny.vi.8, Pliny.vi.39)
- Kataonia
- Ancient Greek: Kαταoνία
Jat Gotras Namesake
Jat Gotras Namesake
- Katania = Catanes (Anabasis by Arrian, p.246, 247.). catanes is plural of catán.[3]
History
It is described by Strabo, who had visited it, as a level plain surrounded by mountains: on the south by the Amanus, and on the west by the Antitaurus, which branches off from the Cilician Taurus and contains deep narrow valleys (in one of which was situated Comana, a considerable city on the river Sarus, which flows through the gaps of the Taurus into Cilicia and the Mediterranean). Through the plain of Cataonia flows the river Pyramus, which has its source in the middle of the plain, and also passes through the gaps of the Taurus into Cilicia. The plain is very productive, except that it has no evergreens. Strabo speaks of a temple of Zeus Dacius, where there is a salt-lake of the considerable extent with steep banks, so that the descent to it is like going down steps; it was said that the water never increased, and had no visible outlet.
The plain of Cataonia contained no cities, but it had strong forts on the hills, such as Azamora and Dastarcum, round which the Carmalas flowed, probably the modern Zamantı River.[4] It also contained a temple of Cataonian Apollo, which was in great repute in all Cappadocia. Ptolemy[5] has a list of eleven places in his Cataonia, including Cabassus and Heraclea Cybistra, which is far beyond the limits of Strabo's Cataonia. In fact Ptolemy's Cataonia, if there is truth in it, must be a different division of the country. Cataonia also contains Mut (Claudiopolis). Cucusus, mentioned in the Antonine Itinerary, is today Göksun. The inhabitants of Cataonia were distinguished by the ancients from the other Cappadocians as a different people, but Strabo could observe no difference in manners or in language.
Mention by Pliny
Pliny[6] mentions...We then come to the river Evarchus13, and after that a people of the Cappadocians, the towns of Gaziura14 and Gazelum15, the river Halys16, which runs from the foot of Mount Taurus through Cataonia and Cappadocia, the towns of Gangre17 and Carusa18, the free town of Amisus19, distant from Sinope one hundred and thirty miles, and a gulf of the same name....
13 The boundary, according to Stephanus Byzantinus, also of the nations of Paphlagonia and Cappadocia. As Parisot remarks, this is an error, arising from the circumstance of a small tribe bearing the name of Cappadocians, having settled on its banks, between whom and the Paphlagonians it served as a limit.
14 On the river Iris. It was the ancient residence of the kings of Pontus, but in Strabo's time it was deserted. It has been suggested that the modern Azurnis occupies its site.
15 In the north-west of Pontus, in a fertile plain between the rivers Halys and Amisus. It is also called Gadilon by Strabo. D'Anville makes it the modern Aladgiam; while he calls Gaziura by the name of Guedes.
16 Now called the Kisil Irmak, or Red River. It has been remarked that Pliny, in making this river to come down from Mount Taurus and flow at once from south to north, appears to confound the Halys with one of its tributaries, now known as the Izchel Irmak.
17 Its site is now called Kiengareh, Kangreh, or Changeri. This was a town of Paphlagonia, to the south of Mount Olgasys, at a distance of thirty-five miles from Pompeiopolis.
18 A commercial place to the south of Sinope. Its site is the modern Gherseh on the coast.
19 Now called Eski Samsun; on the west side of the bay or gulf, anciently called Sinus Amisenus. According to Strabo, it was only 900 stadia from Sinope, or 112 1/2 Roman miles. The walls of the ancient city are to be seen on a promontory about a mile and a half from the modern town.
Mention by Pliny
Pliny [7] mentions....That part of Cappadocia which lies stretched out before the Greater Armenia is called Melitene, before Commagene Cataonia, before Phrygia Garsauritis, Sargarausene,16 and Cammanene, before Galatia Morimene, where their territories are divided by the river Cappadox,17 from which this people have taken their name; they were formerly known as the Leucosyri.18 From Neocæsarea above mentioned, the lesser Armenia is separated by the river Lycus.
Mention by Pliny
Pliny[8] mentions The situation of Cappadocia....Of all the countries of Pontus, this3 extends the greatest distance into the interior.4 On the left5 it leaves behind the Lesser and the Greater Armenia, as well as Commagene, and on the right all the nations of the province of Asia which we have previously described. Spreading over numerous peoples, it rises rapidly in elevation in an easterly direction towards the range of Taurus. Then passing Lycaonia, Pisidia, and Cilicia, it advances above the district of Antiochia, the portion of it known as Cataonia extending as far as Cyrrhestica, which forms part of that district. The length of Asia6 here is twelve hundred and fifty miles, its breadth six hundred and forty.7
3 He includes under the term "Cappadocia," the northern part originally called "Cappadocia ad Pontum," and in later times simply Pontus, and the southern part, originally called "Cappadocia ad Taurum," and more recently simply Cappadocia.
4 Running from the shores of the Euxine to the borders of Syria.
5 I. e. on the eastern side.
6 Meaning that part of Asia which we now call Asia Minor.
7 This ill agrees with what he has said in c. 2, that the distance across from Sinope to the Gulf of Issus is but 200 miles.
Mention by Pliny
Pliny[9] mentions...Of all the countries of Pontus, this3 extends the greatest distance into the interior.4 On the left5 it leaves behind the Lesser and the Greater Armenia, as well as Commagene, and on the right all the nations of the province of Asia which we have previously described. Spreading over numerous peoples, it rises rapidly in elevation in an easterly direction towards the range of Taurus. Then passing Lycaonia, Pisidia, and Cilicia, it advances above the district of Antiochia, the portion of it known as Cataonia extending as far as Cyrrhestica, which forms part of that district. The length of Asia6 here is twelve hundred and fifty miles, its breadth six hundred and forty.7
3 He includes under the term "Cappadocia," the northern part originally called "Cappadocia ad Pontum," and in later times simply Pontus, and the southern part, originally called "Cappadocia ad Taurum," and more recently simply Cappadocia.
4 Running from the shores of the Euxine to the borders of Syria.
5 I. e. on the eastern side.
6 Meaning that part of Asia which we now call Asia Minor.
7 This ill agrees with what he has said in c. 2, that the distance across from Sinope to the Gulf of Issus is but 200 miles.
References
- ↑ Pliny.vi.2, Pliny.vi.3, Pliny.vi.8, Pliny.vi.39
- ↑ https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/catanes
- ↑ https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/catanes
- ↑ A.H.M. Jones, The Cities of the Eastern Roman Provinces (The Clarendon Press, 1937), p. 431 n12.
- ↑ tolemy, Geography, v. 7
- ↑ Natural History by Pliny Book VI/Chapter 2
- ↑ Natural History by Pliny Book VI/Chapter 3
- ↑ Natural History by Pliny Book VI/Chapter 8
- ↑ Natural History by Pliny Book VI/Chapter 8
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