Komana (Comana Pontica) Ancient City During the Hellenistic period, there were two temple states in the area now known as Tokat. The larger of these was Komana, a Cappadocian-style temple dedicated to Ma, believed to be a Mother Goddess. Komana Temple State also had police status and served as a trading post for visitors to the region. After King Mithradates VII fled, the Temple State of Komana became a principality and was conquered by Pompey in the 1st century BC. It was then administered by Archelaus. Following Archelaus' deposition by Caesar in 47 BC, his son took over the principality. It was then passed on to the son of Lykomedes Archelaus Medeius, Cleon, and then to Dyteutus, who was appointed by Augustus and served in Komana. After Dyteutus' death, Komana became part of the Pontus Galaticus region. By the reign of Maurice Tiberius (582-602 AD), the priests had already begun to lose their power, but the temple was still in operation. During the reign of King Pontus and Emperor Maurice, it also had the status of ager publicus for a while. The image of Ma, the mother goddess of the temple state, appeared on coins as early as the reign of Emperor Caligula. The only available information we have about the temple is from coin casts provided during the times of Caracalla, Septimius Severus, and later Trajan, which depict a tetrastyle temple. Some speculate that the columns of Ali Pasha's Mosque in Tokat belong to this ancient temple. The temple state of Comana Pontica, which sheds light on the concept of a temple state, was a bustling marketplace in the interior of Pontus. According to Strabo, 6,000 sacred slaves (hierodouloi) were dedicated to the service of Ma and took oaths to work the fields of the temple territory.