An Assessment on the Roman Bridge (Ayvalıkemer) near Sillyon

Abstract

Sillyon was within the ancient region of Pamphylia, and today it is located in the Kocagözler locality of the Yanköy neighborhood of Serik district in Antalya province. The city has preserved its feature of being an important cultural heritage area from past to present with its archaeological, cultural assets, historical values and multi-layered texture. Throughout history, at the point of unification-conflict of cultures and civilizations, Sillyon bears the traces of many civilizations on it. In other words, in light of current data, Sillyon is an example of a multi-layered city that hosts the process of uninterrupted historical settlement from the early Iron Age to the Ottoman period. In this article, the Roman Bridge, which is known as Ayvalıkemer among the people and located on the Koducak Stream, about 1.5 km west of Sillyon, is discussed. The bridge, dated to the Roman Imperial Period, has 3 sections and was built entirely of travertine blocks. The building, which was restored in 2016 with the support of the General Directorate of Highways, is among the strongest examples of bridges in the region. In the study, first of all, the orientation of the building and its entire architectural setup were analyzed. Its historical evaluation was made by comparing it with the contemporary bridges built in Anatolia. Restoration interventions were examined and information about the bridge’s condition before and after restoration was presented. The location of the bridge on the road networks of the Pamphylia Region and its importance for the city were investigated and the connection of Sillyon with the ancient road routes in the region was discussed. It is expected that this article will present a new perspective on both Sillyon research and the ancient transportation network studies in the region.

Keywords

• pamphylia
• sillyon
• road networks
• ayvalıkemer bridge
• restoration