Sacred Stone of the Emesa Sun God: Emesa Baetyloi on Asia Minor Coins

Öz

Baetylos or baitylos is the general name given to roughly shaped stones that are considered sacred or worshipped as being of divine origin. The concept of baetylos, which is said to derive from the Semitic word beth-el - the house of the god, is mentioned in Ancient Greek and Latin sources as well. The omphalos at Delphi, Cybele Stone at Pessinus, Aphrodite Stone at Paphos and the baetylos in the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus are examples of baetyloi that were considered sacred. In the city of Emesa there was a baetylos belonging to the sun god El-Gabal. One of the priests of this god was Bassianus, later known as the emperor Elagabalus. After Bassianus became the emperor in 218 AD, he took this baetylos with him to Rome. During his short reign from 218 to 222, Elagabalus tried to include the sun god of Emesa in the Roman Pantheon and even equated him with Jupiter/Zeus, but he was met with a reaction of both the public and the Senate. In 222 he was dethroned and murdered, and with his death the baetylos was returned to Emesa. The coins of the Asia Minor cities such as Anazarbos, Hierapolis-Castabala, Iuliopolis, Prusias ad Hypium, Ephesus and Hierapolis show the scene of the transportation of the Emesa Stone to Rome. Also in Colybrassos, a coin minted during the reign of Elagabalus shows a baetylos in an ornate temple. This paper will discuss whether this baetylos was connected with the transportation of the Emesa Stone to Rome.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Elagabalus
• Baetylos
• Rome
• Emesa
• Cult

Emesa’lı Güneş Tanrısı’nın Kutsal Taşı: Küçük Asya Sikkelerinde Emesa Baetylosları

Öz

Baetylos veya baitylos, kutsal sayılan veya ilahi kökenli olarak tapınılan kabaca şekillendirilmiş taşlara verilen genel isimdir. Bazı bilim insanları baetylosları kutsal yerlere dikilerek onurlandırılan taşlar olarak önerirken bazıları da dikilitaş, piramit, sütunları da baetylos olarak önerir. Sami kökenli beth-el tanrının evi kelimesinden türediği söylenen baetylos kavramı Antik Yunan ve Latin kaynaklarında gök yüzünden düşen, doğaüstü özellikler taşıyan, kendi iradesi olan, konuşabilen ve savaşta zafer getiren taşlar olarak geçmektedir. Antikçağ halkları tarafından kutsal görülen baetyloslara Delphi’deki omphalos, Pessinus’taki Kybele, Paphos’taki Aphrodite taşları ve Ephesos’taki Artemis Tapınağı’nda yer alan baetylos örnek gösterilebilir. Emesa’da yoğun tapınım gören güneş tanrısı El-Gabal’a ait olan baetylosun rahiplerinden biri, gelecekte Roma İmparatoru Elagabalus olarak bilinecek olan Varius Avitus Bassianus’tur. Bassianus MS 218’te imparator olduktan sonra baetylosu yanına alarak Antiokheia üzerinden Küçük Asya’ya gelmiş, Kilikia, Kappadokia, Galatia, Bithynia ve Thrakia eyaletlerinden geçerek Roma’ya ulaşmıştır. Görkemli bir törenle taşı Roma’ya getiren imparator, taşın muhafazası için Palatinus Tepesi’nde “Heliogabalium” adlı bir tapınak yaptırmıştır. Elagabalus, MS 218’den 222 yılına kadar süren kısa iktidarında Emesa güneş tanrısını Roma Pantheonuna dahil etmeye hatta onu Iupiter ile eş tutmaya çalışmış ancak hem halk hem de Senatus tarafından tepkiyle karşılanmıştır. MS 222 yılında tahttan indirilip öldürülmüş ve baetylos da Emesa’ya geri gönderilmiştir. Küçük Asya kentlerinden Anazarbos, Hierapolis-Kastabala, Iuliopolis, Prusias ad Hypium, Ephesos ve Hierapolis sikkeleri üzerinde Emesa Taşı’nın Roma’ya taşınması sahnesi görülmektedir. Kolybrassos kentinde ise Elagabalus dönemine ait bir sikkede süslü bir tapınak içerisinde baetylos görülmektedir. Çalışmada Kolybrassos sikkesinde görülen baetylosun o dönemki Emesa Taşı’nın Roma’ya götürülmesi ile bağlantılı olup olmadığı tartışılacaktır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Elagabalus
• Emesa
• Baetylos
• Roma
• Kült

Kaynakça

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