Michael Blömer
Biographic Data
| ID | 8842484 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Michael Blömer |
| GIVEN NAMES | Michael |
| FAMILY NAME | Blömer |
| SIGNATURE | BLÖMER M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Classical Archaeology, Münster University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3921-4036 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 0 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 14 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 1 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 0 |
A monumental apsidal building of the Roman Imperial period in Doliche
Excavations in the city center of the ancient city of Doliche in southeast Türkiye have brought to light the remains of a monumental apsidal building. Although the structure is poorly preserved due to looting and spoliation, the results of three seasons of excavation allow for an initial analysis and preliminary reconstruction. This article presents the building for the first time and discusses its importance in improving our understanding of mon…
Hierapolis and Doliche
Hierapolis and Doliche were cities in ancient northern Syria and eminent religious centers. Doliche was the home of Jupiter Dolichenus, who became very prominent in the Roman imperial period, while Hierapolis was famous for the sanctuary of the great goddess of Syria, Atargatis/Dea Syria. This chapter discusses the history and archaeology of the cities and their sanctuaries and the iconography of the deities. In Doliche, recent excavations at the…
Temples, Tombs, and Villages
Roman, Byzantine, and early Islamic rule over Syria guaranteed a degree of peace and the economic security that fostered sedentarization and the settlement of marginal zones like the limestone massif in north Syria. A prosperous village society developed here in the early Roman imperial period. Hundreds of villages, hamlets, and convents thrived in the region. A diversified agrosystem secured subsistence, but arboriculture and viniculture created…
Capital cities and royal dwellings of late Hellenistic Sophene and Commagene
This article explores the political and cultural landscapes of the Hellenistic kingdoms of Sophene and Commagene, with a specific focus on their capital cities and royal residences. The kingdoms, although often overshadowed by larger Hellenistic realms, played a crucial role in the geopolitical dynamics of the Near East. By examining archaeological findings and historical records, this study highlights the development of urban centers and fortres…
From ‘Secondary’ City to Primary Focus
This article examines the role of archive archaeology in shaping theoretical and conceptual approaches to urban archaeology, using Seleucia in Pieria as a case study. The authors challenge the perception of Seleucia as a ‘second’ city, which, while compounded by the lack of later archaeological focus, has its roots in early European travellers’ accounts of the site. By examining Seleucia, not as a suburb or outpost of Antioch, as it is often trea…
The Impact of Archaeological Practice on the Study of Roman-Period Urbanism in the Near East
This article delves into the intricate landscape of urbanism in the Roman Near East, challenging traditional archaeological practices and perspectives. It highlights a surprising gap in the study of urbanism during the Hellenistic and Roman periods, despite the Near East’s historical significance as an early cradle of urban development. The research underscores the limitations imposed by a focus on monumental cityscapes and the reliance on textua…
Urban Religion beyond the City Limits
Urban Religion beyond the City Limits
Sîn City
Today the city of Ḫarrān/Carrhae is mainly known for the famous battle, in which the Roman general Crassus was defeated by a Parthian army in 53 BCE. However, Ḫarrān was also one of the most important religious centres of North Mesopotamia. Since the Bronze Age, the moon god Sîn of Ḫarrān was popular in the wider region, and it is well known that the late Assyrian and Baby- lonian kings supported the cult and rebuilt the temple of Sîn. Archaeolog…
Doliche`de Yamaç Kilisesi ve Muhtelif Kült Yapıları
2015 yılında, Gaziantep `e bağlı Doliche antik kentinde, arkeolojik kazı çalışmaları başlamıştır. Proje kapsamında Doliche`nin kentsel gelişimini, kentsel yaşamını ve maddi kültürünü bütüncül ve diakronik bir bakış açısıyla incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmalar Almanya-Münster Üniversitesi`ne bağlı Küçük Asya Araştırma Merkezi`nin başkanlığında, T.C. Kültür Varlıkları ve Müzeler Genel Müdürlüğü`nün izni ve de Alman Araştırma Kurumu`nun finansiyel…
Observations on Cities and their Biographies in Hellenistic North Syria
Most studies that aim to give integrated accounts of urban development in Hellenistic North Syria rely very much on information gathered from literary sources and draw heavily on analogies and circumstantial evidence. The master narrative developed along these lines is that the Seleucid kings profoundly transformed North Syria. Seleucus I allegedly triggered a largescale urbanization project that revitalized a largely depopulated region. However,…
Dolichenus
Jupiter Dolichenus was the god of Doliche, a small city in ancient North Syria. The origins of his cult can be traced back to the Iron Age. In the second century, the worship of Jupiter Dolichenus evolved from a strictly local phenomenon to a trans‐local cult with followers in many parts of the Roman Empire. Many of them were Roman soldiers.
Revival or Reinvention? Local Cults and their Iconographies in Roman Syria
In many places of the Near East, images of local deities re-emerged in the Late Hellenistic and Roman Period. In most instances, however, the divine iconography was not rooted in ancient local traditions, but mainly based on Greek models. It appears that the agents responsible for their creation had a Hellenic or Hellenised audience in mind. Emphasis was put on the assurance of local identity, but at the same time a very much standardised express…
Iuppiter Dolichenus
Der Kult des Iuppiter Dolichenus, des lokalen Gottes der Kleinstadt Doliche in der heutigen Südosttürkei, verbreitete sich im 2. Jahrhundert n. Chr. mit großer Geschwindigkeit in weiten Teilen des Imperium Romanum. Die Debatte um »orientalische« Kulte im römischen Reich, aber auch die Ergebnisse der Ausgrabungen im Hauptheiligtum von Doliche haben Anlass geboten, verschiedene Facetten des Kultes erneut in den Blick zu nehmen. Aus historischer wie…
Dolichenus
The local supreme god of the Kommagenian town of Doliche (today Dülük, southeastern Turkey) was venerated under the name Jupiter Dolichenus throughout the Roman Empire. His original sanctuary is on the summit of a local mountain (modern name Dülük Baba Tepesi), situated 3 km outside Doliche. Excavations conducted there since 2001 have attested to the continuous religious importance of the site since at least the late Iron Age.
Samosata
Samosata was a city on the west bank of the Euphrates in southeastern Turkey.
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Iuppiter Dolichenus
Der Kult des Iuppiter Dolichenus, des lokalen Gottes der Kleinstadt Doliche in der heutigen Südosttürkei, verbreitete sich im 2. Jahrhundert n. Chr. mit großer Geschwindigkeit in weiten Teilen des Imperium Romanum. Die Debatte um »orientalische« Kulte im römischen Reich, aber auch die Ergebnisse der Ausgrabungen im Hauptheiligtum von Doliche haben Anlass geboten, verschiedene Facetten des Kultes erneut in den Blick zu nehmen. Aus historischer wie…
Dolichenus
The local supreme god of the Kommagenian town of Doliche (today Dülük, southeastern Turkey) was venerated under the name Jupiter Dolichenus throughout the Roman Empire. His original sanctuary is on the summit of a local mountain (modern name Dülük Baba Tepesi), situated 3 km outside Doliche. Excavations conducted there since 2001 have attested to the continuous religious importance of the site since at least the late Iron Age.
Samosata
Samosata was a city on the west bank of the Euphrates in southeastern Turkey.
Revival or Reinvention? Local Cults and their Iconographies in Roman Syria
In many places of the Near East, images of local deities re-emerged in the Late Hellenistic and Roman Period. In most instances, however, the divine iconography was not rooted in ancient local traditions, but mainly based on Greek models. It appears that the agents responsible for their creation had a Hellenic or Hellenised audience in mind. Emphasis was put on the assurance of local identity, but at the same time a very much standardised express…
Dolichenus
Jupiter Dolichenus was the god of Doliche, a small city in ancient North Syria. The origins of his cult can be traced back to the Iron Age. In the second century, the worship of Jupiter Dolichenus evolved from a strictly local phenomenon to a trans‐local cult with followers in many parts of the Roman Empire. Many of them were Roman soldiers.
Observations on Cities and their Biographies in Hellenistic North Syria
Most studies that aim to give integrated accounts of urban development in Hellenistic North Syria rely very much on information gathered from literary sources and draw heavily on analogies and circumstantial evidence. The master narrative developed along these lines is that the Seleucid kings profoundly transformed North Syria. Seleucus I allegedly triggered a largescale urbanization project that revitalized a largely depopulated region. However,…
Doliche`de Yamaç Kilisesi ve Muhtelif Kült Yapıları
2015 yılında, Gaziantep `e bağlı Doliche antik kentinde, arkeolojik kazı çalışmaları başlamıştır. Proje kapsamında Doliche`nin kentsel gelişimini, kentsel yaşamını ve maddi kültürünü bütüncül ve diakronik bir bakış açısıyla incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmalar Almanya-Münster Üniversitesi`ne bağlı Küçük Asya Araştırma Merkezi`nin başkanlığında, T.C. Kültür Varlıkları ve Müzeler Genel Müdürlüğü`nün izni ve de Alman Araştırma Kurumu`nun finansiyel…
Urban Religion beyond the City Limits
Urban Religion beyond the City Limits
Sîn City
Today the city of Ḫarrān/Carrhae is mainly known for the famous battle, in which the Roman general Crassus was defeated by a Parthian army in 53 BCE. However, Ḫarrān was also one of the most important religious centres of North Mesopotamia. Since the Bronze Age, the moon god Sîn of Ḫarrān was popular in the wider region, and it is well known that the late Assyrian and Baby- lonian kings supported the cult and rebuilt the temple of Sîn. Archaeolog…
The Impact of Archaeological Practice on the Study of Roman-Period Urbanism in the Near East
This article delves into the intricate landscape of urbanism in the Roman Near East, challenging traditional archaeological practices and perspectives. It highlights a surprising gap in the study of urbanism during the Hellenistic and Roman periods, despite the Near East’s historical significance as an early cradle of urban development. The research underscores the limitations imposed by a focus on monumental cityscapes and the reliance on textua…
Hierapolis and Doliche
Hierapolis and Doliche were cities in ancient northern Syria and eminent religious centers. Doliche was the home of Jupiter Dolichenus, who became very prominent in the Roman imperial period, while Hierapolis was famous for the sanctuary of the great goddess of Syria, Atargatis/Dea Syria. This chapter discusses the history and archaeology of the cities and their sanctuaries and the iconography of the deities. In Doliche, recent excavations at the…
Temples, Tombs, and Villages
Roman, Byzantine, and early Islamic rule over Syria guaranteed a degree of peace and the economic security that fostered sedentarization and the settlement of marginal zones like the limestone massif in north Syria. A prosperous village society developed here in the early Roman imperial period. Hundreds of villages, hamlets, and convents thrived in the region. A diversified agrosystem secured subsistence, but arboriculture and viniculture created…
Capital cities and royal dwellings of late Hellenistic Sophene and Commagene
This article explores the political and cultural landscapes of the Hellenistic kingdoms of Sophene and Commagene, with a specific focus on their capital cities and royal residences. The kingdoms, although often overshadowed by larger Hellenistic realms, played a crucial role in the geopolitical dynamics of the Near East. By examining archaeological findings and historical records, this study highlights the development of urban centers and fortres…
From ‘Secondary’ City to Primary Focus
This article examines the role of archive archaeology in shaping theoretical and conceptual approaches to urban archaeology, using Seleucia in Pieria as a case study. The authors challenge the perception of Seleucia as a ‘second’ city, which, while compounded by the lack of later archaeological focus, has its roots in early European travellers’ accounts of the site. By examining Seleucia, not as a suburb or outpost of Antioch, as it is often trea…
A monumental apsidal building of the Roman Imperial period in Doliche
Excavations in the city center of the ancient city of Doliche in southeast Türkiye have brought to light the remains of a monumental apsidal building. Although the structure is poorly preserved due to looting and spoliation, the results of three seasons of excavation allow for an initial analysis and preliminary reconstruction. This article presents the building for the first time and discusses its importance in improving our understanding of mon…
Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History (10 works) · Archaeology and Historical Studies (9 works) · Ancient history (7 works) · History (7 works) · Archaeology (6 works) · Art (6 works) · Classical Antiquity Studies (6 works) · Geography (5 works) · Byzantine Studies and History (3 works) · Excavation (3 works)