Journal of Mosaic Research (Nov 2012)
Arvalya Bazilikası
Abstract
The church is located at real estate with parcel number 7890, in Arvalya location on Selçuk-Kuşadası highway. In its immediate surroundings, there are Gül Hanım Mound, Arvalya Forest Camp Hellenistic tumulus, tomb building and several vaulted spaces that can be tracked through the surface. The church was discovered in 2010, during earthworks for construction of a football pitch on the field; and its scientific evaluation was then carried out thanks to excavations by Ephesus Museum. In the wake of researches it is found that the church was built in early 5th century, on a monumental Roman structure. The church lies in east-to-west direction. It has a basilical plan scheme with three naves. The mid- dle nave is wider than the lateral ones. On the east, there is an apse with a round plan on both interior and exterior sides. The west frontiers are lost during building excavations. According to present traces, the nave of naos seems to be paved with mosaics, whereas the side naves are fitted with bricks. One section of the bordure of mosaic pavement on middle nave is partially protected, while its middle section exists in parts. The bordure consists of alternately placed geometrical motifs. The figure of middle field, however, cannot be identified. In this paper, our aim is to present this partly survived building, which was not published before together with photos, drawings and also to compare with the contemporary examples.
