Ancient City of Ariassus

Ariassus or Ariassos was a town in Pisidia, Asia Minor, built on a steep hillside about 50 kilometres inland from Attaleia, situated at an elevation of 900 to 1100 metres in the Taurus Mountains within the modern-day borders of Döşemealtı in Antalya province. It lies one kilometre west of the Çubuk Pass, accessible via the Akkoç village turnoff on the Antalya-Burdur highway.

The town was founded during the Hellenistic period in the 3. century BC and originally belonged to the Seleucid Empire. In 189 BC, it passed to the Hellenistic kingdom of Pergamum. Following Attalus III bequeathing his kingdom to the Roman Republic in 133 BC, Ariassus was incorporated under Octavian Augustus into the Roman province of Galatia, and later appeared in ecclesiastical lists within the late Roman province of Pamphylia Secunda.

In terms of historical references, the town was mentioned as Aarassos around 100 BC by Artemidorus Ephesius, whose work was quoted by Strabo a century later. Further ancient mentions include Ptolemy in the 2. century AD as well as appearances in the Notitiae Episcopatuum lists of Christian dioceses. Coins minted at Ariassus are also extant today.

The archaeological remains at Ariassus predominantly date from Roman and Byzantine times, with very few traces surviving from the earlier Hellenistic period. The best-preserved structure is a 3. century AD triple-arched city entrance that was once surmounted by four statues. Other prominent ruined structures include an extensive nymphaeum, public baths, a large domestic area, and an abundance of funerary monuments.

Economic life in antiquity centered around viticulture, winemaking, and olive oil production. Scholars believe that the town suffered severe destruction due to an earthquake during the late Roman period, which ultimately led to its abandonment.

During the Christian era, Ariassus served as a bishopric, and the names of three bishops are historically recorded: Pammenius at the First Council of Constantinople in 381, Theophilus at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, and Ioannes as a signatory to a joint imperial letter in 458. Although no longer a residential bishopric, it is listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see, having had several nominal Latin episcopal incumbents during the 20. century.