The information about the ancient city of Arsameia, discovered by F. Karl Dörner in 1951, was obtained after the inscription in the center of the city was analyzed. The inscription states that the founder of Arsameia was Arsemes, the paternal ancestor of Antiochos I, who lived in the first half of the 3rd century BC. However, most of the ruins that exist today were built by Antiochus I and the city was named "Hierothesion" (Sacred Area) by Antiochus. The word Hierothesion is a Greek term known only in Commagene and means the sacred tomb of a member of the royal family.
The archaeological site of Arsameia is built on a rocky cliff and the buildings here are accessed via a pathway that was used as a ceremonial road. On this road, there are relief steles, a monumental burial chamber carved into the rock, the largest inscription of Anatolia written in Greek, a tunnel structure, and the remains of architectural structures at the top. In the inscription, these structures are called "Ktismata".
The inscription in the center of the ruin consists of a total of 256 lines in 5 columns. Beneath the inscription is a 158-meter-long holy function hall descended by steps. Right next to the inscription is a stele depicting the handshake scene of the Comagene King Antiochos I and the God Heracles.
It is thought that the dexiosis (Handshake) reliefs, which are found at intervals on the "Sacred Way" organized in the form of a pathway, were erected to prepare the people participating in the ceremony for the sacred atmosphere. Each of the flat reliefs carved in limestone depicts King Antiochos I shaking hands with a god. As can be understood from these reliefs, King Antiochos I considered himself on the same level with the gods and ascribed himself as a god-king.