Page 148 - TINA Dergi Sayi 08

TINA

Denizcilik Arkeolojisi Dergisi

The Vordonisi Rocks to the northeast of Marmara is ments will allow us to learn from which marble bed
especially open to lodos and extremely dangerous for they came from.
sailors. These marbles must be from a cargo that was Another group of artifacts were discovered in the
loaded onto a ship as being cut from marble beds, that shallows of the rocks to the north of the sunken island
hit the sunken island’s reefs and sank. Therefore, we where the beacon is located. During this part of the sur-
can assume that a ship loaded with marble that set sail vey, a layer of seashells, sand and moss on the seafloor
from prokonnesos sunk after crashing into the Vordo- hindered our vision, and significantly impeded identi-
nisi Rocks. fication of potential artifacts (Fig. 22, 23). In spite of
Additionally, it is known from correspondence be- this, we observed that the blocks were cut evenly (Fig.
tween Young plinius, the Governor of Bythnia and 24-28). We predict that these modern-looking blocks
Emperor Trajan that the marbles carried over the Lake spilled out during the construction of the beacon. Even
Sapanca were taken to seaside . plinius suggested to though they appear to be modern, the fact that these
17
dig a tunnel between Lake Sapanca and Astakos Bay blocks were under a layer of sand and clamshells sug-
in order to facilitate this transportation network. Even gests that architectural remains from the monastery, if
though it’s not really clear if this project was ever com- there is any, should be searched at deeper levels rath-
pleted, it’s certain that the marbles obtained from the er than the surface. The only anchor we managed to
marble beds to the east of Marmara Sea reached Is- find during our research is currently stuck under a rock
tanbul through the Vordinisi route. Although we were (Fig. 29).
unable to obtain any information about dating from This anchor is built from metal, and a double notch
these marble blocks, we believe that analysis of frag- can be seen on one end.
17 PLIN. EP, X. 41.

Fig. 15: Çatı kiremiti istifi. Fig. 16: Dağınık vaziyetteki işlenmemiş
Fig. 15: Stacked up roof tiles. mermer bloklar.
Fig. 16: Scattered raw marble blocks.

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