Geography and power
Sis was located between the fertile Cilician Plain and the passes of the Taurus Mountains, on a rocky elevation. Its position made it possible to control roads leading into the interior while also maintaining contact with Mediterranean ports. From the late twelfth century, Sis became the principal royal center of the Armenian state of Cilicia, and after the proclamation of the kingdom in 1198, its capital.
Unlike the ancient capitals of the Armenian Highlands, Sis developed in an environment where the Armenian state was constantly interacting with Byzantium, the Crusader states, the papal throne in Rome, the Mongols, the Seljuks, and the Mamluks. The capital was therefore not only a center of internal administration but also of international diplomacy. Foreign delegations were received there, treaties were concluded, and military alliances were developed.
Sis contained the royal palace, the fortress, the state treasury, and the mint. The city was connected with the ports of Ayas and Korikos, through which Cilician Armenia participated in Mediterranean trade.
Historical evidence
Coins are unusually direct evidence for royal Sis. Armenian legends on many Cilician issues identify Sis as the place of striking. The inscription locates the mint. A coin’s findspot, by contrast, can document how far that particular object travelled. Mint and findspot supply different historical information.
Later history of the city
However, the fortifications of the capital could not resist indefinitely the changing balance of power in the region. In the fourteenth century, Cilician Armenia weakened because of internal conflicts, succession problems, and continuing Mamluk attacks. With the capture of Sis in 1375, the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia ceased to exist. The fall of the city concluded a major stage in the history of the capitals of medieval Armenian kingdoms, but Sis continued to remain a center of the historical memory of the Catholicosate of Cilicia.
Sources and further reading
Claude Mutafian, Le Royaume arménien de Cilicie · Paul Z. Bedoukian, Coinage of Cilician Armenia.