Corycus

Corycus ( ; also transliterated Corycos or Korykos; ; , lit. "maiden castle") was an ancient city in Cilicia Trachaea, Anatolia, located at the mouth of the valley called Şeytan deresi; the site is now occupied by the town of Kızkalesi (formerly Ghorgos), Mersin Province, Turkey.

Corycus ( ; also transliterated Corycos or Korykos; ; , lit. "maiden castle") was an ancient city in Cilicia Trachaea, Anatolia, located at the mouth of the valley called Şeytan deresi; the site is now occupied by the town of Kızkalesi (formerly Ghorgos), Mersin Province, Turkey. ==The city== ==Bishopric== The city figures in the Synecdemus of Hierocles, and in a Notitia Episcopatuum of about 840. The bishopric of Corycus was a suffragan of Tarsus, the capital of the Roman province of Cilicia Prima, to which Corycus belonged. Of the bishops of the see, Germanus was at the First Council of Constantinople in 381; Sallustius took part in the Council of Ephesus in 431 and a synod held in Tarsus in 434, and was represented at the Council of Chalcedon by his metropolitan bishop Theodorus, who signed the acts of the council on his behalf; Archelaus went to a synod called by Patriarch Menas of Constantinople in 536; Cyprianus was at the Second Council of Constantinople in 553; and Ioannes participated in the Third Council of Constantinople in 680 and the Trullan Council in 692. During the crusades, Corycus was the seat of Latin Church bishops, one of whom, named Gerardus, took part in a council at Antioch in 1136. No longer a residential bishopric, Corycus is today listed by the Catholic Church as a titular see. Two Armenian inscriptions that were discovered at the castles of Korykos were credited to its construction to Levon I and then to Hetum I. ==Corycian Cave== Strabo writes that the Corycian Cave (τὸ Κωρύκιον ἄντρον; now identified with Cennet ve Cehennem) was situated 20 stadia above the promontory of Corycus and was famous for producing the best crocus (saffron). He describes the cave as a great circular hollow surrounded on every side by a high rocky rim. On descending into it, one finds an uneven and mostly rocky floor covered with shrub-like trees, both evergreen and cultivated. Scattered among these are patches where crocus grows. There is also a cave within the hollow containing a large spring, which produces a river of pure and clear water. The river immediately disappears beneath the earth, flows invisibly underground, and eventually emerges into the sea. It is called Picrum Hydor (πικρὸν ὕδωρ; “Bitter Water”). Stephanus of Byzantium calls it the Corycian Cave of the Nymphs (τὸ Κωρύκιον ἄντρον νυμφῶν) and describes it as a “wondrous marvel” (ἀξιάγαστον θαῦμα), stating that it had the same name as the Corycian Cave on Mount Parnassus. August Meineke proposed placing the words "wondrous marvel" after the reference to Parnassus, since the Corycian Cave on Parnassus was regarded as a natural wonder. Thus, Meineke suggested that the phrase "a wondrous marvel" might refer specifically to the Corycian Cave on Parnassus rather than necessarily describing the Cilician cave. However, modern researchers note that the Cilician cave was also well known, so the description given by Stephanus of Byzantium may indeed refer to the Cilician cave. Pomponius Mela (i.13) has a long description of the same place apparently from the same authority that Strabo followed, but more embellished. This place is probably on the top of the mountain above Corycus. This place is famed in Greek mythology. It is the Cilician cave of Pindar (Pythian Ode i. 31), and of Aeschylus (Prom. Vinct. 350), and it is the lair of Zeus' fiercest opponent, the monster Typhon or Typhoeus. ==See also== Kızkalesi, Mersin (current settlement) List of Crusader castles ==Gallery== ==References== Smith, William (editor); Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, "Corycus", London, (1854) Blue Guide, Turkey, The Aegean and Mediterranean Coasts ( ), pp. 550–51. ==External links== Kizkalesi photo gallery Corycus Castle photo gallery Corycus Church Ruins photos Carefully documented photographic survey and plans of Corycus Land and Sea Castles Corycus drone view and aerial shots About Corycus castle

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