Nicephorion
| Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (R) |
Nicephorion was a town of Mesopotamia mentioned by Pliny[1].
Variants
- Nicephorion (Pliny.vi.30)
- Raqqa
- Rakka
- Nikephorion (Ancient Greek: Νικηφόριον)
- Latinized as Nicephorion or Nicephorium
Jat Gotras Namesake
- Nikhad = Nicephorion (Pliny.vi.30)
- Rak = Rakka = Nicephorion (Pliny.vi.30)
Mention by Pliny
Pliny[2] mentions Mesopotamia .... In the vicinity of the Euphrates is Nicephorion, of which we have13 already stated that Alexander, struck with the favourable situation of the spot, ordered it to be built. We have also similarly made mention14 of Apamea on the Zeugma.
13 In B. v. c. 21.
14 In B. v. c. 21.
Raqqa
Raqqa (Arabic: ٱلرَّقَّة, romanized: ar-Raqqah, also Rakka) is a city in Syria on the left bank of the Euphrates River, about 160 kilometres east of Aleppo.
History
The area of Raqqa has been inhabited since remote antiquity, as attested by the mounds (tells) of Tall Zaydan and Tall al-Bi'a, the latter being identified with the Babylonian city Tuttul.[3]
The modern city traces its history to the Hellenistic period, with the foundation of the city of Nikephorion (Ancient Greek: Νικηφόριον, Latinized as Nicephorion or Nicephorium) by Seleucid King Seleucus I Nicator (reigned 301–281 BC). His successor, Seleucus II Callinicus (r. 246–225 BC), enlarged the city and renamed it after himself as Kallinikos (Καλλίνικος, Latinized as Callinicum).[4] Isidore of Charax, in the Parthian Stations, writes that it was a Greek city, founded by Alexander the Great.[5]
In Roman times, it was part of the Roman province of Osrhoene but had declined by the fourth century. Rebuilt by Byzantine Emperor Leo I (r. 457–474 AD) in 466, it was named Leontopolis (in Greek Λεοντόπολις or "city of Leon") after him, but the name Kallinikos prevailed.[6] The city played an important role in the Byzantine Empire's relations with Sassanid Persia and the wars fought between the two empires. By treaty, the city was recognized as one of the few official cross-border trading posts between the two empires, along with Nisibis and Artaxata.
The town was near the site of a battle in 531 between Romans and Sasanians, when the latter tried to invade the Roman territories, surprisingly via arid regions in Syria, to turn the tide of the Iberian War. The Persians won the battle, but the casualties on both sides were high. In 542, the city was destroyed by the Persian Emperor Khusrau I (r. 531–579), who razed its fortifications and deported its population to Persia, but it was subsequently rebuilt by Byzantine Emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565). In 580, during another war with Persia, the future Emperor Maurice scored a victory over the Persians near the city during his retreat from an abortive expedition to capture Ctesiphon.[7]
In the last years before it came under Muslim rule, Kallinikos was as important as any other urban center in the region, and based on the physical area that it covered it was only slightly smaller than Damascus.[8]
External links
References
- ↑ Natural History by Pliny Book VI/Chapter 30
- ↑ Natural History by Pliny Book VI/Chapter 30
- ↑ Meinecke, Michael (1995). "al-Raḳḳa". The Encyclopedia of Islam, New Edition, Volume VIII: Ned–Sam. Leiden and New York: BRILL. p. 410 ISBN 90-04-09834-8.
- ↑ Meinecke, Michael (1995). "al-Raḳḳa". The Encyclopedia of Islam, New Edition, Volume VIII: Ned–Sam. Leiden and New York: BRILL. p. 410 ISBN 90-04-09834-8.
- ↑ Isidoros of Charax, Parthian Stations, § 1.2
- ↑ Mango, Marlia M. (1991). "Kallinikos". In Kazhdan, Alexander (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 1094. ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6.
- ↑ Mango, Marlia M. (1991). "Kallinikos". In Kazhdan, Alexander (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 1094. ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6.
- ↑ Meinecke, Michael (1996). Patterns of Stylistic Changes in Islamic Architecture: Local Traditions versus Migrating Artists. New York and London: New York University Press. pp. 1–22. ISBN 0-8147-5492-9.