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Mallus was an ancient city of Cilicia Campestris (later Cilicia Prima) lying near the mouth of the Pyramus (now the Ceyhan Nehri) river, in Anatolia. In ancient times, the city was situated at the mouth of the Pyramus (which has changed course since), on a hill opposite Magarsus which served as its port. The district was called from it, Mallotis. The location of the site is currently inland a few km from the Mediterranean coast on an elevation in the Karataş Peninsula, Adana Province, Turkey, a few km from the city of Karataş.
According to Strabo (Geography, 14.5.16), Mallus was founded by Amphilochus and Mopsus, sons of Apollo, who together founded Mallus after they left Troy following the Trojan War and whom Strabo credits with powers of divination. Alexander the Great visited Mallus during his conquest of the region, and at Mallus he performed sacrifices to Amphilochus. (Strabo, Geography, 14.5.17) [1]
Alexander the Great built a bridge over the Pyramus and exempted the town from paying taxes. It allied itself with Tarsus against Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who according to the Bible, had presented both cities to his concubine Antiochis (2 Maccabees 4:30, 31). Numerous coins from Mallus have been preserved, and those of the third century bear the inscription Mallus Colonia or Colonia Metropolis Mallus. The city is mentioned by numerous ancient authors, and in the Middle Ages by Arabian, Armenian, and Italian writers. The city declined in importance and disappeared with the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. The ancient site of Antiochia ad Pyramum lies a few km away on the coast.
Mallus figures in the various revisals of the Antiochene Notitiae Episcopatuum as suffragan of Tarsus. Six bishops are recorded. Bematius, present at the Council of Antioch (377); Valentine, present at the Council of Ephesus (431) and the Council of Tarsus (434); Chrysippus at the Council of Chalcedon (451). Le Quien (Oriens Christianus. II, 883) confounds Mallus with another bishopric, Mallus or Malus, situated in Pisidia. Mallus remains a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church, the seat has been vacant since the death of its last bishop in 1990. [2]
Mallus is commonly believed to be in the town of Kiziltahta, itself. The nearing town of Terkosan is mentioned being its necropolis (Seton-Williams, 1954: 171).
The city has not been identified with certainty. However, one may be able to approximate its location from the information given in ancient texts. Stadiasmus indicates that Mallus was 150 stades away from Megarsus (Megarsus is identified to be in modern Karatas) (Cohen, G, 1995: 360). 1 stadia equals 600 feet and 150 stades is 27.4 km. When this distance is measured from Karatas within a 1:100000 scale map of Turkey, the city's location approximates around in the periphery of Kiziltahta. Thus, the identification of the location of the ancient city around Kiziltahta is so far convincing (Akpinar, 2006).
References
- Blue Guide, Turkey, The Aegean and Mediterranean Coasts (ISBN 0393304892), p. 563
- Akpinar, E. 2006. PhD Candidate. University of Cincinnati (Wikipedia Entry).
Cohen, G. 1995. The Hellenistic Settlements in Europe, the Islands, and Asia Minor Hellenistic Culture and Society ; 17
Seton-Williams, M.V. 1954. Cilician Survey. Anatolian Studies. V.4 pp 121-174.
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