DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4679#0247
7. THE BYZANTINE ROAD TO THE EAST. 221
and enters the valley of Metropolis near its north-eastern end, where
it rejoins the line of the Eastern Highway (3,780 ft.) from which it
diverged beside the lake of Anava. The line of the Highway is a
mile or two shorter than the Byzantine road, and it nowhere presents
a difficulty like the long steep climb from the Maeander valley to the
brow of Duz-Bel. The later road is neither easier nor shorter; but
the reason for adopting the route of Khoma lies in the history of the
fortress Siblia, and the requirements of the Byzantine time. Siblia
became one of the great fortresses in the system of defence against
the Arabs, and the road which led direct to it from the coast-valley
became important; whereas Apameia was not an important fortress,
and the road to it sank into insignificance along with the decay of
the trade to which it owed its former importance.
Part at least of this Byzantine road was used both in later and
earlier times. The Duz-Bel is the recognized and natural road from
Eumeueia., the Banaz-Ova, Philadelphia, &c, to the southern part of
the plateau; and it must have always been a path that was used by
all but heavy traffic going that way. It was the road by which
St. Paul on his journey (Acts XIX) went from Pisidian Antioch to
Ephesos, as we see from two considerations: he did not pass through
Colossai and Laodiceia (Coloss. II 1), and he took a higher-lying road
instead of the lowest of all along the lake of Anava1. The Duz-Bel
route crosses the Eumenian valley, and does not go near the lake;
and the accounts given by the natives of its importance led me to
examine it in 1883 2.
§ 8. The Siblianoi. The Maeander. rising beside Apameia, is turned
away to the north-west by the ridge already described § 6. On the
right rises the ridge called Djebel-Sultan s, which is not much above
4,000 ft. behind Apameia, but is about 5,000 ft. near Duz-Bel. This
ridge stretches from the beautiful peak called Ai-Doghmush4 (over
1 See Church in Bom. Emp., second dokome, which was situated near Besh-
or later edition (less completely in first Bunar (p. 222 n. 1), see Acta Tryphonis
edition) p. 94. (where there is in the extant edition
2 I thought that we were the first a confusion between Bithynian and
travellers to cross the pass, but after- Phrygian Apameia).
wards observed that Laborde must have 4 Rising Moon, a name which ad-
gone that way. He attributes an in- mirably describes the appearance of
scription of Stektorion to Eumeneia this fine hill as it is seen rising above
(CIG- 3888), and the explanation of this an intervening ridge as the traveller
error must be that he had gone directly approaches (especially from the west),
from the one to the other. A name like this, implying poetic
3 It is also called Samsun-Dagh, keep- imaginative interpretation of nature, is
ing the name of the old village Samsa- so rare in Turkish as to suggest that it
and enters the valley of Metropolis near its north-eastern end, where
it rejoins the line of the Eastern Highway (3,780 ft.) from which it
diverged beside the lake of Anava. The line of the Highway is a
mile or two shorter than the Byzantine road, and it nowhere presents
a difficulty like the long steep climb from the Maeander valley to the
brow of Duz-Bel. The later road is neither easier nor shorter; but
the reason for adopting the route of Khoma lies in the history of the
fortress Siblia, and the requirements of the Byzantine time. Siblia
became one of the great fortresses in the system of defence against
the Arabs, and the road which led direct to it from the coast-valley
became important; whereas Apameia was not an important fortress,
and the road to it sank into insignificance along with the decay of
the trade to which it owed its former importance.
Part at least of this Byzantine road was used both in later and
earlier times. The Duz-Bel is the recognized and natural road from
Eumeueia., the Banaz-Ova, Philadelphia, &c, to the southern part of
the plateau; and it must have always been a path that was used by
all but heavy traffic going that way. It was the road by which
St. Paul on his journey (Acts XIX) went from Pisidian Antioch to
Ephesos, as we see from two considerations: he did not pass through
Colossai and Laodiceia (Coloss. II 1), and he took a higher-lying road
instead of the lowest of all along the lake of Anava1. The Duz-Bel
route crosses the Eumenian valley, and does not go near the lake;
and the accounts given by the natives of its importance led me to
examine it in 1883 2.
§ 8. The Siblianoi. The Maeander. rising beside Apameia, is turned
away to the north-west by the ridge already described § 6. On the
right rises the ridge called Djebel-Sultan s, which is not much above
4,000 ft. behind Apameia, but is about 5,000 ft. near Duz-Bel. This
ridge stretches from the beautiful peak called Ai-Doghmush4 (over
1 See Church in Bom. Emp., second dokome, which was situated near Besh-
or later edition (less completely in first Bunar (p. 222 n. 1), see Acta Tryphonis
edition) p. 94. (where there is in the extant edition
2 I thought that we were the first a confusion between Bithynian and
travellers to cross the pass, but after- Phrygian Apameia).
wards observed that Laborde must have 4 Rising Moon, a name which ad-
gone that way. He attributes an in- mirably describes the appearance of
scription of Stektorion to Eumeneia this fine hill as it is seen rising above
(CIG- 3888), and the explanation of this an intervening ridge as the traveller
error must be that he had gone directly approaches (especially from the west),
from the one to the other. A name like this, implying poetic
3 It is also called Samsun-Dagh, keep- imaginative interpretation of nature, is
ing the name of the old village Samsa- so rare in Turkish as to suggest that it