Colonia Archelais

COLONIA ARCHELAIS (Aksaray, Niğde) Cappadocia, Turkey.

It was formerly known as Garsaoura, chief town of the strategia of Garsaouritis. Strabo (12.2.6; 14.2.29) describes it as a κωμόπολιςand a πολίχνιον; it was later refounded as Archelaos by King Archelaus, and became a colony under Claudius (Plin. HN 6.8). The site is a large oasis SE of Tuz Gölü and 225 km S of Ancyra. No monuments survive though occasional tombstones are found.

R. P. HARPER