Satala: Rome’s Legionary Fortress in Kelkit

On this page

1. What is Satala?
2. How do you get to Satala?
3. When is the best time to visit Satala?
4. What is the history of Satala?
5. What is Satala famous for?
6. What can you see at Satala?
7. Common misconceptions about Satala
8. Frequently asked questions about Satala
9. What do the official records say about Satala?

What is Satala?

Satala is the ancient name of the village of Sadak, in the Kelkit district of southern Gümüşhane. For several centuries it was one of the most important Roman military bases in the east: the fortress of the Fifteenth Legion, Apollinaris, guarding the frontier of the empire where it faced Armenia and, beyond it, Persia.

Today the remains lie around and under the village, at the foot of a mountain that rises behind them like an amphitheatre. You can trace parts of the legionary fortress walls and see a striking row of arches south-east of the fortress. It is a quiet, little-visited site, and the scale of what once stood here is something you have to imagine from the fragments.

How do you get to Satala?

Satala is in Sadak village, about 17 km south-east of Kelkit town. Kelkit is the main town in the south of Gümüşhane province; from Kelkit, follow the local road to Sadak. You need a car or taxi; there is no regular public transport to the site.

Erzincan Airport is an option for the south of the province, and Trabzon Airport, with more flights, for the north. Kelkit is the most practical base for the visit.

Tours in Anatolia

−5% Istambul readers save 5% on every tour below — applied at checkout.

See all tours

Partner listings via GetYourGuide · free cancellation on most

When is the best time to visit Satala?

May to October. Winters on the Kelkit plateau are cold and snowy. Early summer is green; late summer is dry and hot in the middle of the day, so go in the morning or late afternoon.

What is the history of Satala?

The site was probably occupied by Rome after the emperor Vespasian annexed Lesser Armenia in the 1st century AD. The Legio XV Apollinaris was most likely stationed here by Trajan, and it stayed until the 5th century. Trajan himself visited in 115, receiving the homage of the princes of the Caucasus and the Black Sea coast. The rectangular fortress enclosed about 15.7 hectares.

Satala remained a frontier city in the Byzantine period. In 530 Byzantine forces defeated a Persian army under its walls, and in 607–608 the Persians captured it. The city was also a Christian bishopric, with bishops recorded from 325 into the 13th century, and it survives today as a titular see of the Catholic Church.

The 2002 inventory adds that the area was under the rule of the Hittites, Assyrians, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines and the Komnenoi of Trebizond in turn. Western travellers found the site in the 19th century: a larger-than-life bronze head of Aphrodite was discovered in a field outside Sadak in 1872 and is now in the British Museum, and in 1874 the British vice-consul at Trebizond, Alfred Biliotti, made the first detailed survey. The site was confirmed as Satala in 1894 by roof tiles stamped with the legion’s name. A Byzantine sarcophagus was found in the village in 2017.

What is Satala famous for?

• The Fifteenth Legion, Apollinaris, whose base it was for some three centuries.
• The Satala Aphrodite, the bronze head in the British Museum.
• The arches south-east of the fortress, once thought to be an aqueduct.

What can you see at Satala?

The fortress walls. Sections of the rectangular legionary fortress wall survive in and around the village.

The row of arches. A line of arches south-east of the fortress, long taken for an aqueduct, is now thought to be the remains of a basilica church.

Tombs. The 2002 inventory mentions tombs in Sadak decorated with reliefs of Nike, the winged goddess of victory.

The landscape. The ruins rise in tiers up the foot of the mountain, with the broad valley of the Kelkit plain below, which helps explain why the Romans chose the site.

Kelkit itself. The town sits on a broad upland plain, very different from the forested valleys of northern Gümüşhane, and the same open country that made Satala a good base for an army makes the drive here a pleasure in early summer. Combine the visit with Tomara Waterfall near Şiran over one or two days.

Practical tips. Satala is an open site among village houses and fields: respect private property and ask villagers if you are unsure where to walk. There are no facilities, so bring water. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism protects the remains, and nothing should be removed.

Common misconceptions about Satala

Is the arched structure at Satala an aqueduct?

What people often assume: The row of arches south-east of the fortress is often described as a Roman aqueduct.

What the record says: Later study concluded that the arches are the remains of a basilica church rather than an aqueduct (source).

Frequently asked questions about Satala

What do the official records say about Satala?

Satala (the Sadak settlement) lies 17 km south-east of Kelkit district. Today’s Sadak village bore the name Satala in antiquity. Sadak village is thought to have been the most important military camp of the old Roman Empire in the east. It remained under the rule of the Hittites, Assyrians, Macedonia, Rome, Byzantium and the Komnenoi of Trebizond.

Today the ruins in Sadak village lie at the foot of a mountain that rises in the shape of an amphitheatre. In Sadak village there are tombs with reliefs of Nike. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Gümüşhane Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)