10. Arkeometri Sonuçları Toplantısı - Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı

exander followed the route that Pannenio made safe, crossed the paleobed of Pyramus (Ceyhan nehri), and visited Magarsus and Mallus tomake sacrifices. At Mallus, he heard from Parmenio that Darius was encampedat Sochois, two days' march beyond the Jonah Pass. He met withParmenio on Castabalum and the whole army advanced to Issus. Afterconsulting his generals, he decided to march south, through the coastalroute and to pass the Amanus mountains via the Belen Pass (BelenGeçidi). Marching from Issus, he passed the Jonah Gates aııd reachedMyriandrus? in two days and allowed his arrny to rest near Myriandrus.Meanwhile, Darius decided to advance from Sochoi into Cilicia, tomake an unexpected attack on Alexander, because he believed that Alexander'sforces were spread out from Rough Cilicia to the plain of Issus.He took the northern route in the Karasu valley through the most convenientriver plains and mountain passes-through İslahiye -Bahçe andOsmaniye- and came to Issus via the Kaleköy Pass (Kısık Boğazı), Whenhe heard at Issus that he was behind Alexander, he decided to follow him,hoping to catch him in the Amik-Karasu plain.(8) The exact location İs unknown.(9) The location of Myriandrus İs 110t known yet. Xenephon locates it 5 parasangs or 150 etades(28 km) south of the Cilician Gates. When a 28 km distance is measured from the Jonahpass, its location İs found to be near Adatepe. a large cape with scattered ruins on top,about 13 kın SW of modern İskenderun. Engels ( 1978. p. 47) and Murison ( 1972. p. 407)indicare Adatepe as Myriarıdrus. Howevcr. Seton-Williams ( 1954, p. 147) states "in view ofthe fact that no pre-Hellenistic material was raund during survey, identification as Myriandrcssceırıs unlikely". When ıl 28 km distance measured from the Belen Pass, the loeationof Myriandrus appears to be samewhere near Rhosus (Arsuz). a settlement on the coastabout 32 km SW of ıskenderun. Again . Seton-William deseribes Rhosus as "extensive ıracesof aneient scttlcmcnt on both sidcs of road. No mound, no pre-Hellenistic material"(1954, p. 147). In addition. Stmbo mcntions Myriandrus and Rhosus as different cities onthe Mediterranean coast. He states" and the gulf is callcd the Issic Gulf. On this gulf are situatedthe eity Rhosus. the city Myriandrus, Alexandreia, Nieopolis, Mcpsuestia and Pylai,as it is called, which is the boundary between the Cilicians and the Syrians. "(Sırabo, Gecgraphy,14.5.19, p. 357. translation by Jones). Janke (1910. p. 142) puts ii about II km awayfrom the Jonah Pass (or Sanseki), which is located closc to İskenderun. Hammond ( 1989. p.96) puts about 7 kın SW of Iskenderun. We support Janke's daim. If the city had existed, itwould have been locatcd cither near ıskenderun or somewhere within a 5 km coastal stripsouth of İskenderun. Logically, the city could not have been far from the Belen Pass. if Myriandrushad been located at the far south of the Belen Pass, Alexander would not havemarched therc. The coasıal plain from İskenderun 5 km to the south is onlyabout 2 kınwide. This plain rcprcsents a former bay which was filled by alluvial depcsits of the torrentsderived from mountains nearby. We aIready knaw that a stretch of sen about 1500 ın longhad becrı transfermed inro land in the Payas delta siuce the forth century Re. (Ozancr.1994) Therefore, Myriandrus ıuight be buried under the alluvial depcsits in any Iocaıion inthe above-mentioned coustal strip (probably ncar Karaağaç district). it needs further invcstigation.157