A Storage from 12th Century in Aspendos New Findings on the Place of the City in Mediterran Trade
Veli Köse1
, Mustafa Bilgin2, İnan Kopçuk3, Ertan Şehit4
1Ankara Üniveritesi, Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi, Arkeoloji Bölümü, Klasik Arkeoloji Ana Bilim Dalı, Ankara/TÜRKİYE
2Afyon Kocatepe Üniversitesi, Fen-Edebiyat Fakültesi, Sanat Tarihi Bölümü, Afyon/TÜRKİYE
3Ankara Üniveritesi, Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi, Arkeoloji Bölümü, Klasik Arkeoloji Ana Bilim Dalı, Ankara/TÜRKİYE
4Yozgat Bozok Üniversitesi, Boğazlıyan Meslek Yüksekokulu, Mimarlık ve Şehir Planlama Bölümü, Mimari Restorasyon Programı, Yozgat/TÜRKİYE
Keywords: Aspendos, Roman Basilica, Vestibulum, Middle Byzantine Period, Storage, Transport Amphora.
Abstract
The subject of the research article is a storage unit unearthed during the excavations carried out in the Vestibulum of the Roman Basilica in Aspendos (Belkıs) within the province of Antalya. During the excavations carried out in 2019-2020 in a basilica within the archaeological sector defined as V3, a unit from the 12th century AD (the latest phase of the basilica) is discovered. This structure was later attached and formed from irregular stone blocks with mortar in the inner northwest corner of the vestibulum. The monumental Roman Basilica was converted into a church in the 5th century AD. Later in the 12th century AD, the interior of the Vestibulum was converted into a residential space built with a modest technique, either for religious or private purposes. One of the objectives of the study is to clarify the type of storage, function and related preservation conditions in modest residential units of the period. The transport amphorae found in this special area are also included in the research and 10 of them have been selected and classified into three different types. Considering these types, it is understand that Aspendos was part of Mediterranean trade network during the period in question, maintaining close relations not only with nearby cities such as Myra (Demre) but also with distant centers overseas, including the capital Constantinople.
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC).