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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Elbeyli Mezar Odasi 1 |
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Type:
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Burial Building |
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Plan Type:
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Rectangular |
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Year of Costruction:
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Middle of 4th c. |
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Phase:
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Early |
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Investigation Method:
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Survey |
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Altitude:
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117 |
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Region:
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Marmara |
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Province:
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Bursa |
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District:
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Iznik |
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Village:
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Elbeyli |
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Antique Name:
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Nicaia |
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| Location: It is located at the Haspekli Mevkii on the western skirts of Çaltepe, 2 km northeast of Elbeyli Village to the north of the Orhangazi-Iznik motorway, northwest of the Iznik District of Bursa. |
| Geography and Environment: It lies in the Iznik necropolis, which had been occupied during the Hellenistic and Early Byzantine Periods. With an entrance closed by an iron gate, the grave chamber can only be visited upon permission from the Museum of Iznik. |
| Research and Excavation: It was uncovered during the road construction in May 1967. A conservation work was carried out in 1997, and it was taken under preservation. The sides of the frescoes were cleared in order to protect them from the humidity, and it was enclosed by a concrete wall [Barbet-Sener 1999; Firatli 1974a: 919; Firatli 1974b: 31; Firatli 1975: 24]. |
| Description: Architectural Features: Being in the east-west direction, the grave chamber was built completely under the ground. The western wall is made of bricks while the remaining walls were erected with rough stones in the lower section, and with bricks in the upper section. Square bricks were used in the vaulted roofing. The door opening piercing the western wall was framed with marble, and covered by a marble plate, which can be still found in the grave chamber. Pinholes are traced on the inner side of the door threshold, and they indicate the presence of a movable door. A brick fascia surrounds the entire chamber starting from the upper level of the graves. Based on this fascia, it has been suggested that the floor of the grave chamber was also at this level, and that the graves were topped by lids opened from that level [Firatli 1974a: 922; Firatli 1974b: 32; Firatli 1975: 25]. Decorative Features: The four walls and the vault of the grave chamber are covered with frescoes. The rectangular panels separated by vegetative rim borders on the northern and southern walls bear an arrangement of alternating lozenge patterns, fruits on a tray over a large acanthus leaf and birds standing over them. At the beginning of the vault, there is a rim of boxes giving a three dimensional illusion. The vault was divided into squares as to resemble the cassetted ceilings. Although some parts of the western wall and the vault had been damaged during the road construction activities, it is easy to envisage the remaining depictions based on the traces: The door piercing the western wall is flanked by depictions of a peacock, while the lunette represents a monogram of Christ flanked by birds. On the eastern wall there is representation of a khantaros at the center on a vegetative background flanked by a peacock, depicting a refrigerium scene. The lunette of this wall bears the monogram of Christ flanked by a partridge [Firatli 1974a: 924-929; Firatli 1974b: 32-34; Firatli 1975: 25-27; Karakaya 1978: 82-87]. The entire khantaros, heads of the peacocks and part of the Christ's monogram have been damaged by the treasure hunters [Karakaya 1987: 84]. Those damaged parts were imprecisely filled with plaster [Barbet-Sener 1999:204]. |
| Finds: Architectural Plastic: Fragment of a sarcophagus from the 2nd century which depicts the labors of Heracles (Hercules) was used to close the door of the grave chamber [Firatli 1974a: 919; Firatli 1974b: 31; Firatli 1975: 24]. Pottery: A terracotta lamp was recovered from the graves [Firatli 1974a: 922; Firatli 1974b: 32; Firatli 1975: 25]. Graves: There are two burials in the chamber, one on the southern and the other on the eastern wall [Firatli 1974a: 922; Firatli 1974b: 32; Firatli 1975: 25]. N. Firatli suggests that there might have been a grave on the northern wall as well, identical to the southern one as there is a difference in the height between the door threshold and the floor of the grave chamber, but it might have been damaged [Firatli 1974a: 924; Firatli 1974b: 32; Firatli 1975: 25]. |
| Interpretation: |
| Destruction: Supporting walls are on both sides of the grave room. The entrance was shut by a barred door. Brick walls are observed at the entrance of the grave room. The bricks were recently painted with pink paint. The top of the structure is covered with soil [TAYEx 28.07.2008]. |
