Browsing by Subject "Western Anatolia"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Open Access
Persian period tombs in Western Antolia as reflections of social and political change
(2019-07) Dulun, Mustafa Umut
Fourteen tombs in western Anatolia, from Hellespontine and Greater Phrygia, Lydia, Lycia, and Caria are analyzed in order to understand the social and political change in the Persian period, and to understand the relationship between the local elite and their Persian overlords. Monumental tombs such as the tumulus and temple tombs, their architectural forms and features, contents and artworks are within the scope of this study. The distinction between the burials of elites and administrators was not attested in Hellespontine and Greater Phrygia, nor in Lydia, whereas the securely identified tombs of the dynasts in Lycia and Caria, and their privileged locations separated the rulers from the other elite. The variations in the architectural features in tumulus tombs and the iconography used in these tombs are considered as indicators of identity in western Anatolia. Even though the 6th century BC tombs illustrated continuation of the pre-Persian period mortuary traditions, the conspicuous increase in monumental tomb construction seems to have been owed to the prosperity provided by the Persian Empire. The tumulus, which had been used by the Lydian royals, was now a common burial type in the Persian period, and the wealth required to erect such monuments was now available for the western Anatolian elite. The 5th century BC illustrated a predominant Persian influence and support for the empire, and this phenomenon was considered as a response to the historical events that occurred in the region in the early 5th century BC. Caria and Lycia had freer and more original monuments because they were not satrapal centers in the 6th and 5th centuries BC. Dynast tombs of the 4th century BC were distinguished from the early Persian period tombs and symbolized the changing social and political agenda of these regions.
Open Access
The socio-political structure of Western Anatolia during the (L)BA
(2021-09) Özbaş, Beril
The socio-political structure of western Anatolia during the (Late) Bronze Age is the focus of this thesis. It is visible that the western Anatolian Bronze Age is relatively an understudied subject in comparison to Central Anatolia. One of the biggest problems of the Anatolian Bronze Age studies is that the relative works are either based on archaeological data or textual sources. This paper aims to use both archaeological data and textual sources to reach a broader understanding of the socio-political structure of the region during the (L)BA. To manage this, the text chapter studies different Hittite texts that provide insights about western Anatolia. Based on these texts, five different tables were created, and they present terms related to socio-political structure. These are geographical/political terms, terms related to residents of foreign lands, terms related to military power, terms related to administrative offices. The archaeology chapter studies the socio-political structure of the western Anatolian Bronze Age from a general to specific approach by starting with the settlement types and patterns, geographical and (material) cultural zones in the region, and continue with the case studies from different parts of western Anatolia as Beycesultan, Kaymakçı, Troy, and Bademgediği Tepe. By combining both textual and archaeological data, it is hoped that this thesis will bring attention to the western Anatolian Bronze Age and present a more comprehensive perspective on its socio-political structure.
Open Access
Western Anatolian metalwork and (the self-image) of metal workers in the later ist millennium BC: a historical-archaeometrical approach
(2023-06) Kayaalp, Aziz Cem
This thesis displays the level of metalworking technologies utilized by ancient smiths in western Anatolia during the 1st millennium BC. Metalwork in western Anatolia during the 1st millennium BC is an unexplored field of study. Due to certain historical biases and the relatively new emergence of the archaeometrical techniques, there stands a gap between the history of Late Bronze Age and Hellenistic-Roman metalwork in western Anatolia. In contrast to the previous assumption that most of the metallurgical procedures arrived in Ancient Greece through Cyprus and the Levant, the archaeological evidence from western Anatolia demonstrates that those techniques were already present in the Aegean. Several ancient sites with both Bronze Age and Iron Age layers in western Anatolia, including Gordion, Klazomenai and Sardeis, offer a rich source of material for establishing links between metalworking techniques between the two periods due to the uninterrupted connection their materials present. By exploring the folk tales from Lydia, Mysia, and Phrygia, regions often associated with the origins of certain metalworking technologies and even elements, this thesis aims to uncover the inhabitants' perception of mineralogy. Consequently, the traces of the deliberations of western Anatolian philosophers and mythology are visible in Ancient Greek scientific legacy as seen through Aristoteles. This research highlights the significant influence of western Anatolian metalwork on the scientific legacy of Ancient Greece, both in theory and practice. Additionally, it suggests that western Anatolian metalworkers possessed a theoretical understanding of their work, potentially portraying themselves as keepers of knowledge through their craft.
Open Access
Winter in the land of Rum : Komnenian defenses against the Turks in Western Anatolia
(2015) Deluigi, Humberto Cesar Hugo
Castles constitute the most abundant group of Byzantine remains in Anatolia, and offer historians and archaeologists the opportunity to more fully understand both Byzantine settlement patterns and defensive systems through the ages. However, due to their inaccessibility, lack of distinctive construction techniques, and an absence of evidence for secure dating these monuments have often been neglected by Byzantinists. At the same time, historical sources of the eleventh and twelfth centuries make it clear that the Komnenian emperors Alexios, John, and Manuel all engaged in extensive fortification activities. This thesis seeks to critically unite the historical and archaeological evidence for Komnenian fortifications, with the goal of further understanding the Komnenian defensive strategy and evaluating its results. Following a historical overview of Turkish settlement in Anatolia and the Byzantine response, forty Komnenian castles are surveyed, half of them historically attested and the other half assigned to the period based on historical likelihood and, where possible, stylistic similarities with known Komnenian fortifications. The conclusion argues that while the Komneni were generally successful in dealing with the Selçuks diplomatically, they were unable to solve the problem of the nomadic Türkmen, against whom their fortification program was overwhelmingly directed.