Peltae

Peltae (Peltæ) or Peltai (Ancient Greek: Πέλται) was a city and bishopric of ancient Phrygia in Asia Minor, which remains a Catholic titular see.

History

Peltae was a considerable town of Phrygia, was situated, according to Xenophon, at a distance of 10 parasangs from Celaenae, at the head of the river Maeander. Xenophon describes it as a populous city, and states that the army of Cyrus the Younger remained there three days, during which games and sacrifices were performed.[1] The Tabula Peutingeriana, where the name is erroneously written Pella, places it, quite in accordance with Xenophon, 26 miles from Apamea Cibotus, to the conventus of which Peltae belonged.[2][3][4] Strabo mentions Peltae among the smaller towns of Phrygia,[5] and the Notitiae Episcopatuum name it among the episcopal cities of the Roman province of Phrygia Pacatiana Prima to be a suffragan of its capital Laodicea in Phrygia's metropolitan Archbishopric. The district in which the town was situated derived from it the name of the Peltaean plain (Πελτηνόν or Πελτινὸν πεδίον).[6]

Location

Peltae's site is not known, and several scholars have offered opinions as to its location. It is probable that it is located southwest of Eumeneia.[7]

Titular see

The diocese was nominally restored in 1933 as Titular bishopric under the names of Peltæ (Latin), adjective Pelten(us) / Pelte (Curiate Italian).

It is vacant since decades, having only had the following incumbent(s), so far of the fitting Episcopal (lowest) rank :

  • Stephen Stanislaus Woznicki (1937.12.13 – 1950.03.28) as Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit (USA) (1937.12.13 – 1950.03.28), later Bishop of Saginaw (USA) (1950.03.28 – 1968.10.30), emeritate as Titular Bishop of Thiava (1968.10.30 – death 1968.12.10).

References
  1. Xenophon. Anabasis. 1.2.10.
  2. Pliny. Naturalis Historia. 5.29.
  3. Ptolemy. The Geography. 5.2.25.
  4. Stephanus of Byzantium. Ethnica. s.v.
  5. Strabo. Geographica. xii. p. 576. Page numbers refer to those of Isaac Casaubon's edition.
  6. Strabo. Geographica. xiii. p. 629. Page numbers refer to those of Isaac Casaubon's edition.
  7. Getzel M. Cohen (1995). The Hellenistic Settlements in Europe, the Islands, and Asia Minor. University of California Press. p. 318.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Peltae". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.


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