The mountain lies north of
Kahta, near
Adıyaman. In 62 BC, King
Antiochus I of Commagene built on the mountain top a tomb-sanctuary flanked by huge statues of himself, two lions, two eagles, and various composite
Greek and
Iranian gods, such as
Heracles-
Artagnes-
Ares,
Zeus-
Oromasdes, and
Apollo-
Mithras-
Helios-
Hermes. When constructing this pantheon, Antiochus drew heavily from
Parthian and
Armenian traditions in order to reinvigorate the religion of his ancestral dynasty. The statues were once seated, with names of each god inscribed on them. At some point the heads of the statues were removed from their bodies, and they are now scattered throughout the site. The pattern of damage to the heads (notably to noses) suggests that they were deliberately damaged as a result of
iconoclasm. The statues have not been restored to their original places. The site also preserves stone slabs with
bas-relief figures that are thought to have formed a large
frieze. These slabs, or
stelae, depict
Antiochus'
Greek and
Persian ancestors. The same statues and ancestors found throughout the site can also be found on the
tumulus at the site, which is tall and in diameter. It is possible that the tumulus of loose rock was devised to protect a tomb from robbers, since any excavation would quickly fill in. The statues appear to have Greek-style faces, but Persian clothing and hair-styling. The western terrace contains a large slab with a lion, showing an arrangement of stars and the planets
Jupiter,
Mercury, and
Mars. The composition was taken to be a chart of the sky on 7 July 62 BCE. This may be an indication of when construction began on this monument. The eastern portion is well preserved, being composed of several layers of rock, and a path following the base of the mountain is evidence of a walled passageway linking the eastern and western terraces. Possible uses for this site are thought to have included religious ceremonies, owing to the astronomical and religious nature of the monument. The arrangement of such statues is known by the term
hierothesion. Similar arrangements have been found at Arsameia on Nymphaios at the hierothesion of Antiochus' father,
Mithridates I Callinicus. == Ancient history ==