2017, Abstracts of the Lydia Symposium.
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158 pages
Lydia was an ancient region, located in inner western Anatolia, streching from today’s Turkish province of Manisa in the west to Uşak in the east. Since the end of the 19th century a great deal of scientific work has been done on Lydia, one of the most important of the 32 classical regions of Anatolia. At the beginning of 20th century the U.S. American “Archaeological Exploration of Sardis” was one of the first leading steps of scholarly studies in Lydia. In Turkish archaeology Lydia and Lydian studies became a scientific field first with the Ph.D. dissertation of V. Sevin at the University of Istanbul which was completed between the years of 1969 and 1973. Since the end of 1960s several scholars, including G. M. A. Hanfmann, C. H. Greenewalt, Jr., R. Gusmani, P. Herrmann, A. Ramage, G. Petzl, H. Malay, M. Ricl and C. Jones, contributed on the archaeology, history and epigraphy of Lydian, Persian, Hellenistic and Roman periods of the region. Among others, two significant meetings and their proceedings are important in terms of current Lydian studies: The first one is the volume edited by E. Schwertheim in 1995, Forschungen in Lydien, and the second one is the conference volume that took place in 1999 in Rome and edited jointly by M. Giorgieri, M. Salvini, M.-C. Trémouille and P. Vannicelli (cf. bibliography at the end of the booklet). Since the book of C. H. Roosevelt, entitled “The archaeology of Lydia, from Gyges to Alexander”, Lydia became a more special focus in the fields of ancient Anatolian studies, both archaeologically and historically. Also, since 2005s Lydian become an active area by the increase of the number of archaeological excavations and field surveys, such as Thyateira, Tripolis and surveys in southeastern Lydia, that are being represented in this current symposium.The aim of this present symposium, entitled “Archaeology and history of Lydia from the early Lydian period to the late antiquity (8th century B.C.-6t century A.D.)”, is to report on the state of research concerning Lydia between the middle Iron Age and late antiquity in a more extensive context. Our intention was to extend the chronologies of Lydian studies in a wider range from Lydian period to the early Byzantine period, to bring together scholars of from a wider range of disciplines, among others archaeology, history, epigraphy and other related disciplines in ancient Anatolian studies and to discuss a range of issues related to a larger variety of perspectives in a more interdisciplinary manner. The following theme groups are the main questions of the symposium:- Archaeological field projects and museum studies in Lydia, - Lydia during the Iron Age,- Lydia in ancient mythology,- Lydia during the Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman and Early Byzantine periods,- Lydia and Lydians in ancient authors, eg. Homer, Herodotus, Strabo, Hippolytus of Rome and Hierocles,- Ethno-cultural landscape of ancient Lydia and ethnoarchaeology,- Lydian language, script and epigraphy,- First coinage in Lydia: Reasons, circulations, dynamics and mechanisms,- Tumuli in Lydia and their archaeology,- The Royal Road,- Relationships between Lydia and Ionia, the Achaemenid Empire as well as other neighbouring regions,- Historical geography and settlement patterns in Hellenistic, Roman and Late Roman-Early Byzantine Lydia,- Epigraphy and numismatic in Lydia during the Hellenistic, Roman and Early Byzantine periods,- Roads, routes and population in Lydia,- Lydia as a part of the Roman province Asia and the “seven churches of Apocalypse”,- Forms of Christian presence in Roman and Early Byzantine Lydia,- Jews and Jewish heritage in Roman and Early Byzantine Lydia,- The province Lydia under the tetrarchy reform of Emperor Diocletian in A.D. 296,- Episcopal sees of the Late Roman province of Lydia,- Population and settlement boom in the “Justinianic” era,- Miscellanea.This symposium will take place on May 17-18, 2017 at the Dokuz Eylül University (DEU) in Izmir, Turkey. After the symposium there will be two excursions; the first one will be on May 19-20 to Chios, Greece and the second one will be on May 21 to Sardis in Lydia. The symposium has first been announced in September 2016. Between October 2016 and April 2017 there were more than 100 paper applications from 24 countries, including -in an alphabetical order- Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Kosovo, Mauritius, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the U.K. and the U.S.A., 95 of which were accepted as a paper to be presented at our symposium. Thematically papers were divided into 21 sessions, dealing both with Lydia and other neighbouring regions in western Anatolia. The deadline for applications has been closed in April 30, 2017. This booklet is arranged mainly in April 2017 where abstract were pasted in an alphabetical order of their authors’ names. It will constantly be updated in its online version, both in our Academia and Researchgate accounts. They will also be published in the Turkish peer-reviewed archaeological journal Kubaba which is being edited by Ms Neşide Gençer. We have also a number of colleagues as observers (cf. for their list on pp. 121-122 at the end of the booklet). The Izmir Center of the Archaeology of Western Anatolia (EKVAM) is inagurated in 2014 at the Dokuz Eylül University (DEU) in Izmir by the present author. This center organized several international archaeological meetings under the series of Colloquia Anatolica et Aegaea, Congressus internationales Smyrnenses and will continue to organize these annual scientific meetings in Izmir regularly every third week of May (for a list of past meetings and their publications in the series of Colloquia anatolica et aegaea, Acta congressus communis omnium gentium Smyrnae, please cf. p. 128 at the end of this booklet). Annoucement for our 2018 meeting is also to be found at the end of this booklet on p. 129. In this abstract booklet an extensive bibliography about Lydia is also created on pp. 114-120. The purpose of this bibliographical list is to collect as much as possible scientific publications about the ancient studies on Lydia until the year of 2017. Everybody is welcome to join to this list with her/his own references.
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Abstract In the ancient world, Ephesus was a center of travel and commerce. Situated on the Aegean Sea at the mouth of the Cayster River, the city was one of the greatest seaports of the ancient world. The late antique city can be presented as a city with a great tradition, culture and urban life. In 262, during the reign of the Emperor Gallienus, Goths sacked the city and burned the temple. They destroyed both the city and the temple of Artemis. Ephesus declined since then and even though it was rebuilt, it never regained its old splendor When Diocletian came to power, he started the restoration process. During the reign of Diocletian (284-305), the city was reorganized on centralized and authoritarian lines down to the provincial level. During the Byzantine era, Ephesus became a very important city (5th-6th centuries AD). A big part of the city was rebuilt by Constantine I. In 401 after the Edict of Thessalonica from Emperor Theodosius I, the ruins of temple of Artemis was totally destroyed. The most important role of the city took place in 431 AD. There, the Council of Ephesus was assembled by the Emperor Theodosius the younger in order to settle the contentions which had been raised in the Church by the heretical teaching of Nestorius, bishop of Constantinople. Finally, in 449 another council took place the «Robber Synod», which was condemned by the Fourth Ecumenical Council in Chalcedon in 451. In this paper it will be examined why Ephesus was important as a city not only in the late antiquity but also in the early byzantine era.
Ergün Lafli -Guy Labarre (eds.), Studies on the history and archaeology of Lydia from the Early Lydian period to Late Antiquity, Presses universitaires de Franche-Comté, Besançon 2023, 461-474., 2023
The aim of the paper is to contribute to the study of Lydia in the Early Byzantine period (4th – 6th century AD) from an historical/ geographical viewpoint. Αn historical cross section has been attempted in order to clarify the administrative situation of the province in the 6th century (source: the Synekdemos of Hierocles). A digital cartographic representation of the historical topography has been created in order to describe and clarify the provincial and regional context. The sources used for the representation of this cultural landscape comprise, among others. the ‘oldest’ cartographic monument of late antiquity, i.e. the Tabula Peutingeriana and the ‘newest’, i.e. the Barrington Atlas of the Greek and Roman World. An accompanying database has been also constructed in order to classify the provincial settlements according to historical – cultural and geographical – spatial criteria. The first set of criteria is related to parameters and variables such as the date of foundation, continuous presence in five historical periods (Archaic – Classical – Hellenistic – Roman - Early Byzantine), ancient and modern place names. The second set of criteria is related to the location of the settlement and uses parameters and variables such as geomorphology, water elements, communication networks and the presence of a nodal point. The final object of the paper is a structured synthesis of knowledge regarding the distinctive features of the settlement network of Lydia and the correlation of this information with the dynamic parts of the system, i.e. communication networks and cultural exchanges.
Lydian Kingdom is one of the important Anatolian cultures renowned for its prosperity, fertile lands and mighty kings. The Lydian region is geographically located in an area where it can receive Greek influences from her Ionian neighbors, and Phrygian along with other Near Eastern influences from her eastern neighbor. Important archaeological evidence for the Lydian culture comes from the Sardis excavations as well as from the illegally excavated tumuli in the eastern and northeastern parts of Lydia. Traces of characteristic Lydian elements may be observed on the remains belonging to the period of the Mermnad rule, during the reigns between Gyges, ca. second quarter of the seventh century and the mid-sixth century BC, when the Persians destroyed Croesus' Kingdom. The Lydian cultural influence continued especially during the early period of the Achaemenid rule, which may be observed on the remains from the tumuli and other archaeological remains at Sardis. There seems to be an infusion of cultural interaction that combines elements of the Lydian, Greek, Persian, and Phrygian cultures as well as of other local Anatolian traits. This may be an indication that Lydian art is more eclectic and open to new ideas rather than being strictly conservative. This study aims to analyze the depictions on metal and ivory artifacts, terracotta statuettes, architectural terracottas, wall paintings and pottery where the cultural cooperation is basically observed.
Kubaba, 2017
Colloquia Anatolica et Aegaea Congressus internationales Smyrnenses IX Archaeology and history of Lydia from the early Lydian period to late antiquity (8th century B.C.-6th century A.D.)
H. Bru-G. Labarre (edd.), L’Anatolie des peuples, des cites et des cultures (IIe millénaire av. J.-C. – Ve siècle ap. J.-C.), Colloque international de Besançon – 26-27 Novembre 2010, Presses universitaires de Franche-Comté, Besançon 2013, 189-195.
Roosevelt, C. H. 2006. “Tumulus Survey and Museum Research in Lydia, Western Turkey: Determining Lydian- and Persian-Period Settlement Patterns.” Journal of Field Archaeology 31 (1): 61–76., 2006
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The paper indicates that archaeological studies depict buildings in Lydia displaying Roman architectural styles, observed in numerous sites such as Turgutlu and Sardis, particularly in late antiquity.
Research reveals diverse burial practices in Lydia, including cremation and inhumation, evidenced by findings in necropolises like Tralles, pointing to traditions from the fourth century B.C. to the first century A.D.
Trade routes significantly facilitated economic alliances, with archaeological findings such as coins linking Lydia to Dardania during the second century B.C., underscoring the cultural and economic exchanges.
Excavations have uncovered Early Bronze Age pottery and tools, suggesting concurrent habitation and a complex stratified society involved in regional trade networks in northwest Anatolia.
Architectural analysis indicates that Lydians adapted techniques from both Greek and Persian styles, as evidenced in structures like the Cybele Shrine, which integrates various cultural elements.
Presses universitaires de Franche-Comté http://presses-ufc.univ-fcomte.fr Ly dia, lying between the Aegean coast and the Anatolian plateau, has been associated since Antiquity with the Pactolus river, which carried gold from the Tmolus mountain, and with the wealth of Croesus. Populated by Lydians and Maeonians, and marked by the presence of Persians, Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines, it has attracted the attention of researchers since the end of the 18th century. This book aims to cover the chronology of Lydian studies from the protohistoric period to the beginning of the Byzantine period and to bring together the contributions of international researchers and scholars from a wide range of disciplines that includes history, archeology, epigraphy, and numismatics, and from different perspectives. The various studies discuss society, social structures, military aspects, economy, religion, arts, architecture, and material culture. This diachronic approach makes it possible in particular to question continuity and discontinuity between the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods, as well as with those that preceded them. Ouvrage publié avec le concours de l'Institut des Sciences et Techniques de l' Antiquité (UFC-UR 4011).
Cambridge University Press, 2009
In The Archaeology of Lydia, From Gyges to Alexander, Christopher H. Roosevelt provides the first overview of the regional archaeology of Lydia in western Turkey, including much previously unpublished evidence and a fresh synthesis of the archaeology of Sardis, the ancient capital of the region. Combining data from regional surveys, stylistic analyses of artifacts in local museums, ancient texts, and environmental studies, he presents a new perspective on the archaeology of this area. To assess the importance of Lydian landscapes under Lydian and Achaemenid rule, roughly between the seventh and fourth centuries BCE, Roosevelt situates the archaeological evidence within frameworks established by evidence for ancient geography, environmental conditions, and resource availability and exploitation. Drawing on detailed and copiously illustrated evidence presented in a regionally organized catalogue, this book considers the significance of evidence of settlement and burial at Sardis and beyond for understanding Lydian society as a whole and the continuity of cultural traditions across the transition from Lydian to Achaemenid hegemony.
Luke, C., and C. H. Roosevelt. 2009. “The Central Lydia Archaeological Survey: Documenting the Prehistoric through Iron Age Periods.” In S. W. Manning and M. J. Bruce, eds., Tree-Rings, Kings, and Old World Archaeology and Environment. Oxford: Oxbow Books, 199–218., 2009
The Central Lydia Archaeological Survey (CLAS) is a regional survey project focused on a ca. 350 square kilometer area surrounding the Gygaean Lake (modern Marmara Gölü) in the Hermos (modern Gediz) River valley of central western Turkey. Following an overview of the paleoenvironmental and archaeological approaches of the project, this paper presents some preliminary archaeological results relating to early prehistoric through Iron Age times. Stone tools of the Paleolithic period represent the earliest remains of human activity in the region. Although Neolithic sites are known in immediately neighboring areas, the earliest sites of permanent occupation in central Lydia date to the Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age, when links to east and west are reflected in material cultural assemblages. During the Middle and Late Bronze Age, rapidly increasing socio- political complexity is marked by the development of a network of fortified sites, several of which are associated with unfortified lower settlements and bear remains indicative of broad Aegean (Mycenaean) and Anatolian (Hittite) interaction, and one of which must have been a regional capital, owing to its large size and complexity. While the fortified sites were abandoned at the end of the Bronze Age, perhaps after a fiery conflagration at a few, some of the unfortified settlements continued to be occupied into the Iron Age. Along with the continued use of the area for occupation and subsistence activities in this time, central Lydian landscapes came to be dominated by the monumental tumuli of Lydian kings, and later of other elites, based at Sardis, the Iron Age capital of the region.
In view of the considerable size of greater Lydia and the diversity of its landscape, the large number of sites that had to be investigated and their material inventories analyzed for their chronological, historical and cultural significance, Christopher Roosevelt has done a remarkable job of presenting a fresh and detailed picture of the Lydian civilization.
Roosevelt, C. H. 2008. “Lale Tepe: A Remarkable Late Lydian Tumulus in the Hinterland of Sardis. Introduction, Excavation, and Finds.” In N. D. Cahill, ed., Love for Lydia. A Sardis Anniversary Volume Presented to Crawford H. Greenewalt, Jr. Cambridge, MA: Archaeological Exploration of Sardis, 1–29., 2008
2008
This article presents two grave steles and four cinerary chests (three of which are inscribed). The steles were found in Yassıeynehan, a village of Simav in northern Lydia/western Phrygia (Maionia/Mysia Abbaïtis). Both steles feature pediments and show wreaths with a inscription beneath them. The steles in this icono-graphy in fact are in the type of steles from Saittai and its territory, and many similar samples existed there. At the end of inscriptions are curse imprecations peculiar to that region. The village of Yassıeynehan, the finding place of these steles, is not far from Saittai (Sidaskale-İcikler) and they are the productions of Lydian culture. The steles are from the A.D. 1 st century for and the beginning of the 2 nd century, according to their era information given in their inscriptions. All the cinerary chests which are in plain foursquare box form and don't have depictions, belonged to the territory of Philadelpheia (Alaşehir/Manisa), except for one, the finding place of which is unknown but is probably originated from Lydia. The inscriptions of them are simple and in two of them the name of the deceased were given in genitive case. Since in an inscription of chests is given a date in A.D. 1 st century (no. 4), the others should also belong to the same epoch.
Full volume open-access here: https://iris.unitn.it/handle/11572/440830. Narratives about the transition from the Herakleid to the Mermnad dynasty in Lydia, preserved in Herodotus and (drawing on Xanthus of Sardis) Nicolaus of Damascus, establish a qualitative distinction between Herakleidai and Mermnads which opposes, respectively, “royal” figures with Assyro-Babylonian connections to “para-institutional” figures with Phrygian connections. Dynamics of succession and usurpation within and between those dynasties recall phenomena that can be observed in epigraphic narratives of Neo-Hittite rulers. This paper investigates the narratives about the Herakleid-Mermnad transition in Lydia from a broader Iron Age Anatolian perspective, tries to explain how certain elements of the tradition originated, and proposes possible historical models to interpret hitherto obscure aspects of early Lydian political history.
Roosevelt, C. H. 2012. “Iron Age Western Anatolia: The Lydian Empire and Dynastic Lycia.” In D. Potts, ed., A Companion to the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East. Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World. Malden, MA: Blackwell, vol. 2, 896–913., 2012
The Lydia Symposium
Ergun LAFLI