Wednesday, August 08, 2007

The Haunts of Orthodox Bulldog?

Here's a brief notice of some recent archaeological work in northwestern Turkey, in the region of ancient Phrygia:

"Galleries, negropols, passageways and granaries, dating back to Roman and Byzantine periods, were unearthed during the excavations carried out in Han Underground City of central Anatolian city of Eskisehir," said Ahmet Oguz Alp from Anadolu University's Department of Art History.

"Although it is not clear yet, we think that the city might have been used as a military base in the past. People might have used the city as a place of shelter or to wage attacks in order to protect themselves from Arab and Turkish incursions as well," Alp affirmed.

Alp also noted that the city had a great importance, as it was used as a military route before the Ottoman Empire and a route for pilgrimage afterwards.

The excavation work at the historical site will end on August 22nd.
By 'negropols' is meant necropoleis (or, if you prefer, necropolises).

This just makes me wonder whether this 'Han Underground City' (about which I can find nothing else) is Dorylaeum (Δορύλαιον), which was the see of Eusebius of Dorylaeum, not to be confused with the more famous Eusebius of Caesarea.

This Eusebius is remembered for his support of Catholic orthodoxy and his doctrinal battles with the Nestorians and with Eutychus who espoused something like the monophysite doctrine. The latter controversy saw him physically abused, threatened with death, condemned, and removed from office. He found solace in Rome with Pope Leo I, and later participated in the Council of Chalcedon where he was fully vindicated, he helped to author the definition of faith, and his condemnation was annulled. The Catholic Encyclopedia article ends with this:
Flavian said of Eusebius at Constantinople that "fire seemed cold to his zeal for orthodoxy", and Leo wrote of him that he was a man who "had undergone great perils and toils for the Faith". In these two sentences all that is known of him may be fitly summarized.