Seleukeia (Silifke): History and coins

The region of Cilicia has had an important place in Anatolian history for centuries. It has been a meeting place and transition point between the cultural worlds of the East and West. The ancient city of Seleukeia ad Kalykadnos was one of the most important cities of Cilicia Tracheia and located in the Silifke district of the modern province of Mersin. Founded in the Hellenistic period, Seleukeia has continued to exist today as an significant city and settlement throughout history. Two of the most important reasons for this continuity is its geographical situation as well as its natural resources. No monographic study on Seleukeia has been written, only different aspects of it have appeared in various publications. Since the city has been inhabited uninterruptedly since its foundation, most of its archaeological remains rest under the modern city, with very few surviving to the present day. In this study, the history of Seleukeia was treated as a whole by evaluating the archaeological remains, coins, inscriptions, along with ancient and modern sources. In this context, the historical geography of Silifke's region – the location of the city – was examined from the Paleolithic period to the Middle Ages. The dynamics for establishing the city were explicated, and the social and cultural life through these periods was revealed. Using coins, the focus of this study, the social and cultural structure of Seleukeia, its economic structure, and its administrative structure were clarified. Seleukeia started to mint autonomous coinage in the Hellenistic period. It continued to mint coins almost uninterruptedly through the Roman imperial period, from the emperors Hadrian to Gallienus. A catalogue was created by compiling the coins of Seleukeia found in Turkish museum collections as well as from published catalogues and online collections. These civic coins were classified and evaluated. As a result, a new type was added to the coin repertoire of the Hellenistic period, and the coinage iconography of the Roman imperial period was reclassified in some instances. Keywords: Seleukeia ad Kalykadnos, Seleucia ad Calycadnum, Seleucia, Coins and Coinage, Silifke, Cilicia, Mersin