Coracesium (Alanya)

Ancient-Warfare.com, the online home of Ancient Warfare magazine

Coracesium, modern Alanya. Photo Jona Lendering.

Coracesium, or "the crow's nest", was the ancient name of modern Alanya. It was often used as a base by desperadoes.

The Seleucid king Antiochus III the Great (222-187) in vain tried to capture Coracesium, and later, the rebel Diodotus Tryphon used it during his insurrection against Demetrius I Soter (161-150) and his brother Antiochus VII Sidetes (138-129). In the first century BCE, Coracesium was the capital of the Cilician pirates, whose story is told by Appian of Alexandria (Mithridatic wars, 92-97). He calls the rock "the Crags of Cilicia".

The Crow's Nest was captured by the Roman general Pompey the Great in 67 BCE. Later, it was called Kalon Oros, "Beautiful Mountain", from which its modern name is derived. Here, you can see a satellite photo.

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