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A Byzantine Well-Deposit from Anemurium (Rough Cilicia)1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 June 2015

Caroline Williams
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Extract

Excavations at the coastal Cilician city of Anemurium (Eski Anamur) have recently brought to light a significant well-deposit containing pottery, lamps, coins and miscellaneous metal objects. The well appears to have been deliberately filled in on one occasion for reasons that we cannot now ascertain. The homogeneous nature of the deposit is indicated by the fact that joining sherds come indiscriminately from all levels in the deposit. Since all the pieces from any one vessel are generally not present and the majority of sherds are body sherds from amphorae for which there are no necks, handles or bases, it would seem that those charged with the task of filling in the well took whatever was closest to hand for their work and it is quite fortuitous that almost whole vessels came to be included in the deposit.

The terminus post quem for the act of filling in the well is provided by two coins of Heraclius belonging to the years A.D. 629–630 and 630–631. The evidence of coins also points to widespread abandonment of the city c. A.D. 660, although the appearance of a few coins belonging to the last decades of the seventh century seems to indicate a limited degree of continued occupation.

Type
Research Article
Information
Anatolian Studies , Volume 27 , December 1977 , pp. 175 - 190
Copyright
Copyright © The British Institute at Ankara 1977

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References

2 See Catalogue, nos. 33 and 34.

3 Only five coins dating from the last third of the seventh century have so far been discovered in the city, all from the general area of the baths-palaestra. These coins in chronological order are: An73.185 (Constans II, 666–8); An73.54 (Constantine IV, 668–73); An76.316 (Constantine IV, 668–85); An76.324 (Justinian II, 686–7); An76.129 (Tiberius III, 698–705). In contrast to this small number, as many as 46 coins dated to the decade 650–660 have been recorded. This evidence seems to suggest that the effective life of the city came to an end c. 660, with occupation on a reduced scale and perhaps in limited areas continuing until c. A.D. 700. (I owe this general information about the latest coins from Anemurium to Dr J. Russell.) When the writer refers to the end of the city, this must be understood as the termination of the Roman and Early Byzantine phases of Anemurium's history. There occurred a subsequent partial reoccupation of the site in the Middle Ages with which we are not concerned in this article.

4 For the bath-palaestra complex and limestone court, see the preliminary excavation reports by DrRussell, J., Türk Arkeoloji Dergisi 20.1 (1973) pp. 201–19Google Scholar; 21.2 (1974) pp. 153–65; 22.2 (1975) pp. 121–39.

5 References to a Form number after tableware vessels refer to the typology in Hayes, J.W., Late Roman Pottery (London 1972)Google Scholar. H. = height D. = diameter of the rim DB. = diameter of the base W. = width. All dimensions are in metres.

The catalogue number assigned to each item in the text is also the number by which it is identified on the Figures. Unless otherwise indicated every vessel is drawn. If a photograph is provided for an object, the Plate number is indicated in the text after the catalogue number. I wish to thank Mrs Pamela Rogers for her kind help with the drawing of the profiles.

6 References in the Catalogue to the size of particles and grits have been made by the use of the terms “small”, “medium” and “large”. In general, “small” refers to grits 1 mm. or less in diameter. “Medium” grits are c. 1–2 mm. “large” grits are those of greater dimension.

7 Glazed vessels from the Early Byzantine period are not common. See Hayes, J.W., “Excavations at Saraçhane in Istanbul: Fifth Preliminary Report; A Seventh Century Pottery Group,” Dumbarton Oaks Papers 22 (1968)Google Scholar (hereafter “Saraçhane”) passim for examples of glazed wares from Constantinople and especially p. 216 and notes 39 and 40 for a short discussion.

8 To my knowledge the clay is not particularly common elsewhere in Turkey and its source is unknown. There are a few references to a similar sounding clay found on sites in Cyprus; cf. “Kornos Cave” p. 47, no. 5, and du Plat Taylor, J., “Roman Tombs at Kambi, Vasa,” RDAC (1958 for 1940-1948) pp. 29, 34, 38 and 39Google Scholar.

9 See “Saraçhane” p. 215.

10 See note 7 for the reference.

11 See the Catalogue entry for discussion and reference.

12 It is likely that exportation of Late Roman C ware from its centre of production on the west coast of Asia Minor started to taper off before production itself ceased. Hence it probably was not being brought into Anemurium after c. 650.