Arkhaia Anatolika (Apr 2020)
Stratonikeia Teritoryumundan Elit Mezarları
Abstract
This paper discusses the tombs that were identified during archaeological surveys conducted in the northwest of the border of Yatağan district in 2018 and 2019, many of which have not been subject to any scientific study. Two of these tombs are subterranean chamber tombs; one is a tumulus with krepis walls while five are rock-cut tombs bearing different features. The first of the subterranean chamber tombs is located on the borders of Koranza, just north of Lagina. The tomb consisting of one vestibule and a burial chamber, was built using limestone and conglomerate blocks. In the tomb, which marble was preferred for the burial beds, it is seen that both the top cover and the furnishings inside the tomb feature simple arrangements. The Taşkesik tomb in the southwest of Lagina was built entirely of marble and consists of a front chamber and a main tomb chamber. Although it is difficult to determine some details on the top cover and the interior furnishing of the tomb featuring quite high-quality workmanship due to the destruction caused by unlicensed excavations, it is clear that it has greater detailed workmanship than the Koranza tomb. During the study, the architecture of the tombs, the functions of the rooms, the applications preferred in the entrances located in the passage between the rooms, the findings related to the burial beds and the top cover were evaluated by means of comparison with other examples in the region. Though the burial chambers under tumuli are not foreign to the Caria Region, it is a new type for our research region. The circular krepis wall surrounding the tomb chamber in Gökgedik Tumulus consists of a dromos and a chamber. These walls that form the boundary of tombs in the circular shaped tumuli featuring krepis walls, documented in almost every region of Anatolia, both prevent the decomposition and erosion of the material that forms the top of the tomb and provide a monumental appearance to the structure by forming a platform. The rock-cut tombs in the region present different features. While the Deliklitaşini rock-cut tomb presents a unique example with the lack of the north wall, the İmize and Zeytinköy rock-cut tombs are the representatives of a very common type in the region with their plain facade and Π-shaped interior furnishings. The Kurudere rock-cut tomb is an important example with its different applications in its interior furnishing, but what is more important is the terrace formed in front of the tomb for the dead cult. The Hankuyu rock-cut tomb, on the other hand, constitutes the rural example of a tomb type seen very commonly after Stratonikeia was liberated from Rhodes and gained its political and economic independence. While the tombs found during the 2018 and 2019 surveys show that the active families in the rural settlement took as example the tombs of the aristocratic segment living in cities, each of these tombs are like a symbol of the statuses held by those in the tombs at the time they were alive.
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