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AriarathiaAriarathia or Ariaratheia (Ancient Greek: Ἀριαράθεια) was a town of ancient Cappadocia, in the Sargarausene region, inhabited during Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine times.[1] History It was founded by Ariarathes IV of Cappadocia (r. 220–163 BCE). It was detached from Cappadocia and assigned to the province of Armenia Minor when that province was established.[2] The town had city rights.[3] The town belonged to the so-called Armenian Hexapolis and remained under Byzantine control in the seventh century.[4] In lack of archaeological findings, it seems that the city vanished during the eighth or ninth century when the Muslim onslaught rendered the area between Caeserea and Melitene a no man's land.[5] Its site is located near Pınarbaşı, Asiatic Turkey.[1][6] While Ramsay identified it with the town of Tzamandos, this is incorrect as Tzamandos is 15 km west of Ariarathia.[3] DioceseIt became the seat of a bishop and a certain Acacius of Ariarathia is known to have defended the view of Cyril against Theodoret and the eastern Bishops in the time of the Council of Ephesus, 449.[7] A No longer a residential bishopric, it remains a titular see of the Roman Catholic Church.[8] See alsoReferences
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38°43′19″N 36°23′28″E / 38.722°N 36.391°E
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