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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Kaunos / Kbid |
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Type:
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City |
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Altitude:
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m |
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Region:
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Aegean |
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Province:
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Mugla |
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District:
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Ortaca |
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Village:
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Dalyan |
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Investigation Method:
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Excavation |
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Period:
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| Location: It is located in the Town of Dalyan to the west of the Ortaca District of the Mugla Province. At present; it is 3.22 km away from the sea [Bean 2000:174]. The asphalt road strecthing towards the southwest, diverting from the main road 7 km after Köycegiz on the Mugla-Fethiye motorway provides access to the village of Dalyan. The road is 17 km long from the junction to the village. The Dalyan Village is located on the eastern bank of the Dalyan Brook (Calbis), which discharges the waters of the Köycegiz Lake into the Mediterrenean coast while the ruins of Caunus are situated on the opposite bank [Umar 1999:308]. |
| Geography and Environment: Used to be a port city; Caunos lost this feature along with the formation of the Dalyan delta. To the north and west is surrounded by the Ölemez (Imbros) Mountain. Investigations revealed that the 150 km Köycegiz Basin was formed during the Late Pleistocene. The Lake of Köycegiz measures around 5200 hectares; and it is rated as the second largest lake of Caria after the Lake of Bafa. Supplied by many brooks; it is 1 m high from the sea level; with its deepest point over 70 m. The lake drains its water to the sea via the Dalyan Brook [Ogün et al. 2001:2-3]. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: It was discovered by Hoskyn in 1840; and visited by Collignon in 1976 and Maiuri in 1920. Bean who conducted detailed survey works in 1950s was followed by Aström who studied the rock tombs; and Roos who conducted surveys in 1864-70. Excavations at Kaunos/Kbid were conducted by Ögün between the years 1966 and 2000. Since 2001, C. Isik has been leading the excavations. |
| Stratigraphy: |
| Small Finds: Architecture: Near the harbor, there is a structure, presumably a temple, with a terrace wall still preserving a height over 3 m on the western section, and only the traces of foundations on the northern end of the lesser acropolis. The retaining wall of the building is dated to the 4th century based on the masonry and construction technique [Öðün 1973:163]. It has been found out that the Shrine of Aphrodite Euploia, extending from the deposits of the Terrace Temple towards the plain ground of the Harbor Agora like a spit, and lying almost on the western end of the sacred area on the rocky elevation immediately behind the stoa, was present since the Classical Age. The altar with reliefs depicting Aphrodite and Poseidon found inside the shrine belongs to the early Imperial Period. However, the soundings revealed that the terracotta votive figurines from the Classical Age indicate earlier background of the Aphrodite Euploia cult [Ögün 1973:228]. A unique example of sacred pillar was found in Kaunus. This conic-shaped stone was exposed at the level of the bedrock, approximately 6.5 m below the floor of the circular Heroon on the temenos of Zeus Soter established on an artificial terrace on the slope between the central Agora and the Palaistra. With a height of 2.5 m, this artefact represented the earliest remain of the temenos along with a terrace wall located nearby, which is dated to the 4th century at earliest. A 1.4 m wide rocky block with a trimmed surface near this sacred stone is of interest as several votive bones were found on this stone, which is 0.3 m higher than the floor of the earliest phase and around it. It seems that the votice ceremony was directly hold in front of this stone [Diler 1996:319]. Sultaniye Baths: Among the ancient ruins lying in the midst of the modern spa facilities, the earliest ones are remains of a terrace wall built with cyclopean blocks. No definite information is available about dating of the wall, but it should have been erected at the beginning of the Archaic Period at latest. No or little architectural additions are available from the Classical and Hellenistic Periods [Ögün et al. 2002:365-366, 368]. Pottery: The deposit of the well a little further to the northwest of the terrace wall B yielded very restricted material. Part of the finds are from the Archaic, Early Hellenistic and Hellenistic Periods. The floor level yielded local vessels of Kaunus from the Archaic Period including four oinokhoe, and one amphora. Fragments of at least ten various vessels are again from the same period. During the soundings carried out to determine the building levels in the street running along the Terrace Temple, several Archaic Period ceramics were found under the paving stones [Ögün et al. 2002:365-366, 368], and also it was indicated by S. Doruk in the report of the 1984 activities that the soundings carried out in front of the stoa in agora revealed well-baked ceramics dating to the 5th and 4th centuries BC [Doruk 1986:523]. Figurine: The soundings carried out in the area where the Kaunus lamps were uncovered on the western end of the small fort yielded several lamps dating from the late 4th century BC to the periods including the Hellenistic Period, and several figurines from the Late Archaic Period again until the periods including the Hellenistic Period [Ögün 1973:164]. Statue: A statue registered under inventory no. 811 of the Museum of Bodrum was found approximately 200 m north of the excavation area of Kaunus in 1964, and moved to the museum. The broken fragments of the torso belonging to an Archaic athlete with an upright position have not been found yet [Gürman 1975:139]. Graves: A burial structure and any kind of ancient finds were found in an area of 4 squarekilometers at at Mezargedigi Mevkii, 4 km west of Kaunus. The grave measures 5.4x6.35 m in dimensions, in the east-west orientation. It was completely uncovered with its in situ blocks reaching up to a height of 1.8 m. It shares common characteristics with the rock graves of Kaunus, particularly in façade organization, which documents that it was built prior to the Alexander's Campaign in Asia Minor [Varkiranc 1998:224-225]. |
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