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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Heraion Teikhos |
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For site maps and drawings please click on the picture...  |
For photographs please click on the photo...  |
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Type:
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Mound |
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Altitude:
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m |
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Region:
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Marmara |
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Province:
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Tekirdag |
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District:
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Merkez |
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Village:
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Karaevli |
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Investigation Method:
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Excavation |
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Period:
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Classical |
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| Location: The ancient city of Heraion Teichos is located at so called Karaevlialti Mevkii in the Karaevli Village on the eastern bank of the Çitlembik Brook on the Istanbul-Tekirdag motorway, 15 km east of the provincial center of Tekirdag. Previously Karaevlialti was identified with the ancient city of Mokasura [Tasliklioglu 1961:1; Tasliklioglu 1971:93]. Also referred by Herodotus [IV, 90], Heraion Teichos was a colony of Samos, and later on referred as Hiereo [Sayar 1990:214]. |
| Geography and Environment: With a field-like appearance, part of the ancient city is covered by the Olive Oil Factory of Salat, which is not active anymore. It was reported that the excavations were initiated in order to prevent any destruction immediately after the discussions about opening a LPG filling facility in the site of the factory. |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: It was surveyed by Z. Tasliklioglu during the Epigraphical Surveys in Thrace. However, at the time the village of Karaevlialti was identified with Mocasura. V. Sevin conducted a survey in the coastal line of the Northern Marmara Sea in 1980-81 and collected several sherds also from that site. The survey conducted by M. Özdogan in the region yielded sherds dating to the Classical Period. In 2000, an excavation was initiated by N. Atik and M.A. Isin at Tekirdag/Karaevlialti Mevkii in cooperation with the Museum of Tekirdag. The excavations were discontinued in 2002 and 2003 due to bureaucratic reasons, and they have been continued from 2004. |
| Stratigraphy: Presence of sherds dating to the Iron Age almost at the same level of the layer next to the section which yielded finds from the 4th century BC indicated that a building of the King Kersebleptes period was seated on the cultural deposits of the Iron Age. |
| Small Finds: Architecture: The first sounding of the 2000 campaign yielded a city wall reinforced with tower from the 4th century BC. The ongoing excavations showed that it was the northern gate of the city. The 2001 campaign focused inside the city wall of acropolis. During the same campaign, a large marble courtyard made of gathered material and its enclosure walls were revealed. These finds suggested the presence of a Temple of Asclepius [Atik (N) 2002: 67]. Pottery: The East Greek type of plates decorated with lotus leaf represents the earliest pottery examples among the surface finds collected during the survey conducted by V. Sevin. In the Wild Goat style, these plates are dated to the last quarter of the 7th century BC. One of them, specifically the one with a thick cream slip [Sevin 1986:550, pl. 301a] was dated to an earlier period, to the second half of the Rhodes A, ie. second phase of the Mid-Rhodes A due to both thickness of its slip and use of various patterns to fill the empty spaces. The other three sherds belonged to the plates with a very thin whitish slip, presumably from the phase B when the Wild Goat style was introduced in 600 BC. [Sevin 1986:551, pl. 301b-d]. Several sherds dating to the Classical Age were also collected during the survey conducted by M. Özdogan [Özdogan 1982a:40, pic. 5]. A sounding to the northeast of the acropolis during the 2001 campaign yielded red-figure vessels from the 4th century BC, and immediately below this layer were some Iron Age sherds [Atik-Isin 2006:48]. At the same point a Sinope amphora dating to the first half of the 4th century BC was found. The excavations yielded plain black glazed Attic pottery with incised interior surface and roulette and palmette stamping dating from the mid-5th century BC until the second quarter of the 4th century [Koçel-Erdem 2002:57]. Among the other forms of sherds recovered are amphora, krater, pelike, hydria, kylix, pyxis, askos, guttus, lekanis, squat lekythos, and alabastron. A body fragment of a krater in the Kerch style bears a depiction of Nike resembling the style of Meidias Painter, one of the major painters of the late 5th century BC. [Koçel-Erdem 2002:60, fig.7]. Also found are squat lekythos with palmette motifs commonly produced during the first half of the 4th century BC, and squate lekythos called the "Bulas Group" and alabastrons of the same date [Koçel-Erdem 2004] Figurines: To the west of the gate a woman figurine seating on throne was found to the south of the acropolis walls. The back of the throne was elevated to the level of her neck, with angular corners. Wearing a khiton, the figurine has no head. It is dated to the late 6th century and early 5th century [Atik (N) 2004:45, pic. 2]. An actor (comedian) figurine found near the city wall at the entrance of the gate is dated to the mid-4th century BC [Atik (N) 2004:46, pic. 3]. Votive figurines were found in the building with marble courtyard. Around the northern gate of the acropolis, a terracotta head of a satry, nearly 19 cm high, from the 5th century was found [Atik-Isin 2006:49, pic.3]. Coin: The 2000 and 2001 campaigns at the acropolis yielded coins from 5th to 3rd centuries BC. One of the coins dating to the reign of Odrysian King, Hebryzelmis (390/87-383 BC) - which is the earliest coin among others- is depicted with a bearded god wearing diadem on the observe, and with kotyle or kypsele on the reverse. The coin was inscribed "EBPY", the first four letters of Hebryzelmis. The god depiction was interpreted as head of Zeus or Apollo [Dönmez-Öztürk 2003:49]. Another coin dating to the reign of Kersebleptes has depiction of a female head on the obverse, and of kotyle or kypsele on the reverse, as inscribed "KEP", the first three letters of the Odrysian King Kersebleptes (359-42/1 BC). Grave: It was found that the Archaic and Classical Period grave stones were used in the masonry or pavement of the building with a health-realted function, located within the city walls of acropolis and arranged with gathered material [Atik-Isin 2006:49, pics.8, 10]. Animal Remains: Remains of murex shells -used for dyeing cloths and healing- were found in one of the corners of the building with marble courtyard as crushed, burnt and reduced to ashes. Other: Numerous medical instruments were found in the building with marble courtyard. A burnt layer dating to the reign of the King Kersebleptes yielded a wooden loom and loom weights. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: Based on the small finds such as stone tools and pottery collected during the survey conducted before the excavations, it was found out that the site had been uninterruptedly inhabited from the 3rd Millennium BC until the 13th century AD [Atik-Isin 2006:47]. Expanding onto a wide terrain, this Thracian site was a harbour city, which had been probably inhabited from the Iron Age during which the Thracians arrived in Anatolia, and reached its heyday during the Classical and Hellenistic Periods, and lasted until the end of the Byzantine Period. The period of the King Kersebleptes is well-known through the written sources. It seems that part of the Classical Period-Early Roman Period pottery was produced in the region [Atik-Isin 2006:50]. The pottery finds indicate an intense trade relationship with neighbours and wealthiness of the ancient city as an important harbour city. As a result of this intense trading activities, the popular and richly decorated Attic pottery of the time were imported from Greece, the most important production center during the Classical Period [Koçel-Erdem 2003:48]. |
