Page 75 - TINA Dergi Sayi 11

TINA

Maritime Archaeology Periodical

The southern pond is separated from the rest of ed significantly to its growing importance . Abandon-
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the bay on the western part by a promontory with an ment of the city corresponds to increased siltation of
approximate length of 175 m and an average width the harbor bay, which, therefore, became unusable. A
of 50 m in the north-south direction. With only one short look at the plan would be enough to see how the
connection with the bay on the north, the pond used city relied on the harbor for its prosperity (Fig. 2). Ear-
to be an inner harbor while rest of the bay was used ly Hellenistic walls extending from the Doğucasarı hill
as an outer harbor at least from the Roman Period. in the east to the Tepecik ridge in the northwest and the
It is obvious that financial burden of conducting Kurşunlu hill in the southwest almost seem to embrace
any research on this swamp, which hides a major the harbor bay. The Late Antique fortifications, which
part of the harbor buildings of Patara and was de- were built about 800 years later were almost ‘reduced’
scribed briefly hereinabove, using traditional meth- to one fifth of the city towards the harbor, excluding
ods of archaeology (excavation, survey etc.) will be the residential areas on the skirts of Doğucasarı and the
very high because it is almost impossible to even get agora. The Middle Age fortifications of 600 years later
into the swamp from time to time. That’s why there were concentrated on the harbor including the promon-
is only a few scientific studies that have been con- tory that separated this inner harbor, and the small area
ducted so far. At this point, past and future collabo- to the south of the inner harbor. The city, or better to
rative studies with other scientific fields (especially say, the fortified area survived next to the harbor until
geoarchaeology and geophysics) gain importance. destruction of the harbor.
Here in this article, following a short introduction A RICH ARCHITECTURAL ARCHIVE
of the Patara harbor bay, a number of questions and In order to demonstrate the huge potential of Patara
problems will be discussed through the eyes of an harbors to provide data in economic, military and
archaeologist and a research perspective will be pre- representational research areas, only mentioning the
sented based on previous researches, observations buildings with various functions, which escaped re-
and limited excavations. maining under the swamp, and are still visible on the
HEART OF THE CITY surface all in a way directly or indirectly related with
In the light of ancient resources and available the harbor would be enough. Undoubtedly, among
archaeological data, the bay, which we described all the most important building is a lighthouse, which
above, seems to have been the only reason for es- was unearthed during a challenging excavation under
tablishing a settlement in Patara. Encroaching like the sand: the Patara Lighthouse rising around 27 m
an estuary upon the land, it is one of the rare safe on a podium encircling a rock to the northwest of the
coves where sailors would have sought shelter on bay’s entrance was built by Emperor Nero (Fig. 3) .
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the Lycian coast . Additionally, it is almost the only Currently, the reconstruction work of this monument
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gateway to the sea for the Xanthos Valley, housing a - which is supervised by the Directorate of Patara
number of cities and settlements that extend beyond. Excavations - is taking place, almost all construction
Combination of these two geographical features elements of which had been found.
made Patara flourish as the most important harbor When these works are completed, the lighthouse
city in the region. Furthermore, being located at the will shine, just as in antiquity, with a body of white
intersection of the marine routes between the East- limestones in the daylight, and with a light on the top
ern Agean and Cyprus, Egypt and Levant contribut- at night, which will be visible from miles away.

4 KOLB 2018, 20 refers that Patara had a sandy coast during the ancient period. According to him, the boats were beached in Patara,
which is totally wrong since he clearly disregards the fact that the coastal geography has changed over thousands of years: until 1000
years ago there was no beach to tow a boat in Patara.
5 ZİMMERMANN 1992; IŞIK – KOÇAK 2014; KOÇAK 2016a.
6 IŞKAN – ECK – ENGELMANN 2008.
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