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Apollonia Mordiaion

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Apollonia Mordiaion
Type:
City
Altitude:
1250 m
Region:
Mediterranean
Province:
Isparta
District:
Uluborlu
Village:
Merkez
Investigation Method:
Survey
Period:
Hellenistic Roman

     


It has been obscured by the district center of Uluborlu; north of the Isparta Province. The ancient city is surrounded by the Kapi Mountain and the Yuvaca Plain to the south; the Salgamlik Hill to the west; the Kiliclayan Mountains to the north; and the Senirkent Plain to the east. No investigation has been carried out yet for the ancient city of Apollonia Mordiaion except the epigraphical researchs on the Pisidia Region. Before Apollonia; here there was an insignificant settlement called Mordiaion. Apollonia was founded at the same location at the beginning of the 3rd century B.C. by Seleucus I. Strabo refers to Apollonia Mordiaion as a Phrygian city [Strabon 12; 8; 13]; while it is recorded as a Pisidian city by Ptolemy [Ptolemy 5; 4; 11]. She was incorporated to the Province of Galatia in 25 B.C.; and then the Province of Pisidia in 297 A.D. The city was renamed as Sozopolis during the Late Imperial Period. The coinage between the reigns of Titus (79-81 A.D.) - Gallienus (260-268 A.D.) are known [Lang 2003: 179-180]. The coins minted under the control of the Roman Emperors indicate prosperity of the city. It is referred as a Lycian and Thracian colony in some of the coins. The Thracians were probably installed to the city as senior military forces [Jones 1971: 411; footnotes 10 and 22] so that the military power of the city was reinforced. The ancient city was discovered by F.V.J Arundell in 1833. No systematic investigation has been conducted at the ancient city of Apollonia Mordiaion. Therefore; remains of buildings known to have belonged to the ancient city are very restricted. Presence of a Temple of Roman-Augustus was confirmed by the inscriptions and coins. Among the significant finds of the temple is a fragment in Greek edition of Res Gestae which includes the accomplishments of Augustus. The most significant visible architectural remains are from the Uluborlu Fortress; which is dated to the Hellenistic Period. Also found are a fountain from the Roman Period; some building foundations; architectural blocks; several grave inscriptions and honorary inscriptions from the Late Hellenistic-Early Imperial Period. A borderstone dating to the Hadrian's Period; erected by the citizens and board of Apollonia indicates that the city was connected to Apameia Kibotos through a road (Via Sebaste). A few kilometers west of the city some milestones of Via Sebaste were found. It was surveyed by M. Özsait et al. in 2008 and it was found that the architectural elements revealed at Kadi Kuyusu location 3 km east of Uluborlu belonged to this settlement [Özsait 2010:422]. During the survey conducted by B. Hürmüzlü and her team in 2014, findings belonging to the ancient city were determined in 5 areas. The finds found the area in the north of the Isparta-Uluborlu motorway during the highway construction were studied. Infrastructure and upper structure stones, which are believed to belong to a monumental building dating to Roman Period, were found. However, no small finds were determined. A Tymandos type grave stele, which is used as spolia in the fountain near the Tomb of Efendi Sultan located inside the city walls of Uluborlu Castle, was found. Also, pottery sherds belonging to Roman Period were determined around the northern bastion of the fortress. Large and small worked stone blocks, one of which is found in situ, were found in the south of the Highway D320 in Senirkent District of Isparta Province. Fragments of columns, podium blocks, blocks in various sizes and functions, in situ walls with two courses of stones were found in the area where Haci Kadi Mosque locates, in Uluborlu centrum. The first wall measures 3.5 m long and the second one is about 21 m in length. It is observed that blocks were used as spolia in the garden wall in the area where the second wall locates. Ottoman wares were found in these areas. Yahya Fountain, located in Uluborlu centrum, was built with spolia material. These materials were also used in the garden wall, extending parallel with the fountain, and the garden door. It is observed that a sarcophagus was used in the façade of the mansion facing to the road heading to Uluborlu Castle. In the garden and the wall of Uluborlu Imam Hatip High School, spolia material was used as well. Late Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman wares were found in Uluborlu Castle and its vicinity [Hürmüzlü et al. 2016:534-5].
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