If It Is Sunday, These Must Be Byzantine Churches

Today my companion (Professor Mark Fairchild) and I visited both deserted and well-visited sites besides roads leading off the coastal highway into the interior of the Cilician mountains. Though close to the road, the thick brush NAND steep hills prevent any but the most intrepid from tackling several of these sites. 

First stop was Çatiören, first settled in the second century BCE and continued through the Byantine period (after 325 CE). Byzantine refers to the Roman period after the rise of Constantine the Great and the movement of the Empire's focus east to Byzantium (Constantinople). Many churches were built across the Empire as Christianity was finally legalized. It was not the sole religion, but became the predominant one. 

Our goal was to find a missing inscription and to revisit the synagogue first documented by Mark 2 years ago. The site features a large Hellenistic fort (lower structure in picture above) and a temple of Hermes (on the right). We measured the small synagogue and found it to be 12 x13 inside, with two stories. The door lintel features the menorah and thunderbolts of Zeus we saw yesterday. Here in Cilicia a group of monotheists would worship alongside the Jews in their synagogues but did not convert. Instead, they named the one god by his Greek name. 

Next stop was the site of Emirzeli, with several churches, one of which was built on top of a more ancient Hellenistic building. There was also a huge watch tower of the second century BCE. 

A small Doric style temple to a Hellenistic god still stood on the site.

In one church be uncovered a dedicatory inscription on the floor near the altar. 

At the tourist site of Kanlidivane we examined the inscription on an older Hellenistic tower that looked out to sea to warn of pirates. Four large churches surrounded the deep grotto adjacent to the watchtower. 

Nearby Roman tombs included several reliefs of the occupants.....