COINS AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF A SANCTUARY: NUMISMATIC EVIDENCE FROM THE SANCTUARY OF MEN ASKAENOS IN PISIDIAN ANTIOCH
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14795/jaha.13.1.2026.1510Keywords:
Pisidian Antioch, Men Askaenos Temple, Sanctuary, Coins, Late AntiquityAbstract
Excavations carried out at the Sanctuary of Men Askaenos, located within the territory of Pisidian Antioch, have yielded 214 coins alongside votive objects, figurines, miniature offering vessels, and other finds. As proven by the coin finds, site was actively used from the 2nd century BC until the late 4th century AD, documenting its long-term function as a religious and cultural center. The transformation of the Roman Empire in favor of Christianity accelerated particularly during the 4th and 5th centuries AD through a series of legal decrees. The law issued on July 10, 399, ordered the destruction of pagan temples in rural areas; another decree dated August 30, 415, mandated the transfer of all properties belonging to the pagan cult to the Church. Finally, the law of December 18, 435, required the complete demolition of any surviving temples, shrines, and altars, and their purification through consecration with crosses, the sacred symbols of the Christian faith. These laws established a legal framework for the systematic eradication of pagan sanctuaries and their conversion into Christian places of worship within the Late Roman Empire. The Late Roman coins found in the Sanctuary of Men Askaenos provide valuable insights into how this transformation was implemented at the local level. In particular, they shed light on how the decrees compiled in the Codex Theodosianus affected regional religious structures and illustrate the process by which pagan cult sites were replaced by Christian worship spaces.
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