DOI: 10.53084/2220-9050.2025.31.1.008

E.V. Prikhodko
Sanctuary of Meter Theon Veginos and Eurymedon at Zindan Mağarası. Part 1. Timbriada and its main sanctuary: history of study and inscriptions

Abstract: The city of Timbriada is located in northern Pisidia. The Aksu river (known in its lower course as the Köprüçay) flows not far from the city. In antiquity it was called Eurymedon. This river originates in the Anamas Dağları mountain range and descends to the Yılanlı plain through a gorge. On the northern side of this gorge lies the entrance to a large karst cave called Zindan Mağarası. Since ancient times, this cave has been revered as a sacred place. During the Roman period an architectural ensemble was constructed around the cave’s mouth. This included statues and steles bearing dedicatory and honorary inscriptions. A bridge was also built over the river in front of the cave. This article is the first part of a study on Zindan Mağarası. It presents the history of research into this sanctuary and addresses controversial issues concerning the interpretation of the inscriptions found there. The first inscriptions were copied by Cl. Brixhe in 1972. In 1977, during the construction of a tunnel, a statue of the river god Eurymedon, along with a dedication to the deity, was discovered. Archaeological excavations began in the sanctuary in 2002. From the inscriptions uncovered, it became evident that the sanctuary was dedicated not only to Eurymedon, but also to Meter Theon Veginos. According to the most likely interpretation, the cult name Veginos derives from the ancient name of the Anamas Dağları, though this name remains unknown to us. During the Roman period, there was a settlement on the left bank of the river, from which several funerary steles with inscriptions in Pisidian language have been recovered. In the V–VI centuries AD a basilica with an altar in the form of a triconchus was built – the only example of this type of basilica in Pisidia.

Keywords: Zindan Mağarası, Timbriada, Pisidia, Eurymedon, Meter Theon Veginos, deipnisterion, Ancient Greek inscription, Roman bridge, triconchus basilica

To cite this article: Prikhodko E.V. Sanctuary of Meter Theon Veginos and Eurymedon at Zindan Mağarası. Part 1. Timbriada and its main sanctuary: history of study and inscriptions. Aristeas XXXI (2025): 148–205.

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Author:

Elena V. Prikhodko