{"id":9345,"date":"2024-04-29T10:00:51","date_gmt":"2024-04-29T08:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.doliche.uni-muenster.de\/about-the-excavation-project\/the-commagene-landscape\/"},"modified":"2025-05-20T09:49:25","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T07:49:25","slug":"the-commagene-landscape","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.doliche.uni-muenster.de\/en\/about-the-excavation-project\/the-commagene-landscape\/","title":{"rendered":"The Commagene Landscape"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Commagene and adjacent landscapes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The landscape of Kommagene stretches between the Taurus Mountains and the Euphrates. Today it is part of south-eastern Turkey, but in ancient times it was politically and culturally part of northern Syria. The exact borders of the region are difficult to define and changed with the political conditions. The Commagenian heartland, which roughly corresponds to the Syro-Hittite kingdom of Kummuh, is largely identical to the modern Turkish province of Adiyaman. The capital Samosata was also located here. At the height of its power, the Hellenistic kingdom of Commagene also encompassed the neighboring areas to the south, including Doliche and Zeugma. Finally, in Roman times, an even larger territory formed the eparchy of Commagene as part of the province of Syria. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Roman bridge over the G\u00f6ksu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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View of the castle from Gerger<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Coordinated by the Asia Minor Research Center, research projects on various aspects of the archaeology and history of Commagene are carried out in cooperation with national and international partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research History<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Interest in Commagene awoke soon after the engineer Karl Sester rediscovered the tomb of the Commagene King Antiochos I on the Nemrut Da\u011f in 1881. Carl Humann and Otto Puchstein then investigated the site in 1882 and 1883. During their travels, they also explored other sites in the Commagene. Their publication “Travels in Asia Minor and Northern Syria” in 1890 is a milestone in Commagene research. The monumental monuments and inscriptions of the king became world-famous and still characterize the image of the landscape today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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King Antiochos I with Heracles, Arsameia a. Nymphaios<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Friedrich Karl D\u00f6rner was of particular importance for the further exploration of Kommagen. He traveled to the region together with Friedrich Naumann as early as 1938. In 1953, he succeeded in discovering the Commagene residence city of Arsameia a. Nymphaios, the exploration of which was a focus of his research in Commagene in the following years. At the same time, Nemrut Da\u011f was investigated under the direction of Theresa Goell. However, D\u00f6rner, Goell and their colleagues also contributed to the exploration of a large number of other sites and monuments in the region, and Friedrich Karl D\u00f6rner was particularly important for the further exploration of Kommagene. As early as 1938, he traveled the region together with Friedrich Naumann. In 1953, he succeeded in discovering the Commagene residential city of Arsameia a. Nymphaios, the exploration of which was a focus of his research in Commagene in the following years. At the same time, Nemrut Da\u011f was investigated under the direction of Theresa Goell. However, D\u00f6rner, Goell and their colleagues also made an outstanding contribution to the exploration of a large number of other sites and monuments in the region. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Friedrich Karl D\u00f6rner in front of one of the inscriptions in Arsameia a. Nymphaios<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

From the 1970s onwards, the archaeology of Commagene was increasingly influenced by the numerous dam projects in the Euphrates Valley. Various surveys and excavations took place in the area of the later Atat\u00fcrk Dam, which has flooded a large part of the Commagene heartland, including the capital Samosata, since 1990. The construction of the Birecik Dam led to investigations in the southern Commagene in the late 1990s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Literature<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

General<\/h3>\n\n\n\n