Olympos,
one of the port cities of the Lycian Region, is located in a deep valley formed
by Sepet Mountain in the south and Omurga Mount in the north. The Olympos
River, which forms the main character of the city and passes in the middle,
divides the city into two as north and south. Although there is no data on the
first establishment of Olympos at the urban level, the first written sources
for its existence are provided by the coins of the Lycian Union dated to the
Hellenistic Period. Similarly, polygonal fortification walls located in the
south of the city are another important data showing the existence of the city
in the Hellenistic Period. Olympos, which is one of the 23 cities that have the
right to vote in the Lycian Union, is one of the important cities with three
voting rights, along with Xanthos, Patara, Pinara, Myra and Tlos. It is
understood that between 100 and 77 BC, the city lost this importance and it was
not in the Lycian Union. This situation is related to Zeniketes who is known to
be a piracy company in the region from the west of Antalya to the Gulf of
Gelidonya. The city was reintroduced to the Lycian Union during the Roman
Imperial Period.
In
the archaeological studies, it was understood that no data on Christianity
could be obtained in the city until the fifth century BC. However, the fact
that the name of the saint named Methodios, who lived in the end of the 3rd century
and the beginning of the 4th century, is the first bishop of the Lycian region,
shows the presence of the Christian community in this period. Taking into
account the general urban planning, it is understood that the city underwent
reconstruction activities in the 5th and 6th centuries after the Roman period.
The church and baptistery, where the slabs are the subject of our study, are
located in the center of the Episcopal Palace, where religious and
administrative functions in the north of the city are carried out. The bishop's
house is located in the east of the Episcopal Palace. The bishop house is
located in the east of the Episcopal Palace, and in the west there are
triclinium, peristyl and different sized rooms which are thought to belong to the
officials. The church, which is the largest building in the palace, has three
naves and a transept plan. In the south of the church there is a relief chapel
and an additional space, while the north has a three-nave basilical baptistery.
There is a rectangular narthex in the west of the church without atrium. The
doors on the east wall of the narthex provide access to the dining room and the
doors on the north wall provide access to the baptistery. In the bema of the
church, there is templon arrangement in the form of an inverted П in the apse width. The
doors on the eastern wall of the church allow access to the corner rooms from
the naves. The nave separations of the church formed by columns and slabs are
designed as high type to prevent both passage and sight in the section of the
northern nave up to the transept.
Slabs
which are used in churches for ambon, templon, solea, altar, and nave
separation, were found in the different excavations periods in the Episcopal
Church and Baptistery of Olympos. Most of the slabs in the buildings were
produced from limestone material which are similar to the examples in the
Lycian Region. However, in some of the slabs, marble materials were also used.
It is seen that the slabs, which are mostly used in nave separations due to the
finds, are processed with herbal, geometric, figured, inscribed and symbolic
motifs. The leaf among scrolling branch is often used in vegetal motifs. In
addition, ivy, flowers with round and pointed leaves, pomegranate and spike
motifs are also seen. In the slabs seen geometric motifs such as interwoven
circles, intersecting circles, rhombuses and triangles. As symbolic motif, the
cross that we see in Latin, Maltese and Rho types has often been used. In the
figurative depictions we see on the plates made of marble, a portrait of a
saint or a Virgin Mary, a lion-goat struggle and a peacock can be seen. . When
the ornament methods on the slabs are taken into consideration, it was seen
that techniques such as incised, relief, and large carving were used in the
same way as in the Lycian Region. Another interesting feature that we found in
the samples made up of local limestone material is the guiding lines on their
decorated or undecorated surfaces. These guide lines helps stone mason to place
the motifs on the slab in a smooth and symmetrical way. In this respect, it
provides very interesting information about the construction process and design
of the slabs. As a result, all the slabs examined are dated to the 5th 6th
century BC when evaluated with motifs, stylistic features and similar examples.
Primary Language | Turkish |
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Subjects | Archaeology |
Journal Section | ARTICLE |
Authors | |
Publication Date | March 25, 2019 |
Submission Date | February 8, 2019 |
Published in Issue | Year 2019 Volume: 9 Issue: 1 |
Hope to be enlightened in the light of knowledge ....
ODÜSOBİAD