Hierapolis In Phrygia Research Articles

Seriality and Individualization: Carving the Fluted Sarcophagi from Hierapolis of Phrygia

Abstract Several marble sarcophagi, including both plain or fluted coffins and chests decorated with garlands, friezes, and elaborate compositions framed by columns and covered with roof-shaped or kline lids, are attested in the Roman burial grounds at Hierapolis in Phrygia (Turkey). Because of their repetitive, standardized pattern, fluted sarcophagi have been dismissed by scholars as the formulaic, more affordable output of local workshops. Contrary to the apparent simplicity, however, each item is highly individual with respect to the morphology of its mouldings and flutes, surface treatment, and decorative details. The majority of the pieces from the North Necropolis seem to have been carved in response to individual requirements. While rationalized modes of production likely dominated the economic landscape of the Roman sarcophagus industry, customers could exercise a significant degree of control over the pieces carved by local quarry-based workshops. Exploration of these processes, operational flows, and histories may yield new perspectives on the social and economic relationships that underpinned the production and trade of Roman sarcophagi.

Early Byzantine city walls of Hierapolis in Phrygia: demolishing and recycling the Imperial era monuments

The study concerns the city walls of Hierapolis in Phrygia (Denizli, Turkey), which were built in the second half of the 4th century AD or at the beginning of the 5th century AD, by systematically recycling architectural blocks from Imperial-era public monuments and funerary edifices. The preserved remains of the fortifications enclose the city along its northern, eastern and southern sides, leaving out large sectors of the urban area. Within the research activities of the Italian Archaeological Mission, topographical DGPS surveys of the remains were performed, and a geodatabase of the reemployed blocks was implemented with three main aims: i) the reconstruction of the building site of the city walls; ii) the identification of the demolished monuments of the Imperial-era used as “quarries” and the study of the procurement strategies of stone materials in the early-Byzantine Hierapolis; iii) the analysis of the relationship between the large building site of the fortifications and the other coeval construction sites and their impact on the socio-economic life of the city. The research allowed us to trace the development of the building site of the city walls, which, starting from the north, mainly reemployed blocks from the necropolises, North Theatre, North Agora and the shops along the plateia not-included into the early Byzantine Hierapolis. Moreover, numerous materials from the Gymnasium and other monuments located in the central part of the city but not yet identified on the ground were especially reused in the eastern and southern sectors of the walls. Lastly, the location of the recycled blocks made it possible even to reconstruct the various transportation routes linking the demolished monuments to the different sectors of the city walls. On cover:Late Roman wall, the portion immediately south of the West Gate (Porta Oea) with re-used blocks from first-century mausolea (Drawing by Francesca Bigi) and Tombstone of Regina from South Shields (Arbeia) (Tyne and WearArchives and Museums/ Bridgeman Images). E-ISSN (online version) 2611-3686 ISSN (print version) 0065-0900

Di Apollo e di alcune fondazioni seleucidi

This paper questions the widespread view associating the Apollo’s epithet ἀρχηγέτης/ἀρχηγός with the Seleucid city foundations in the Greek East. Special attention is paid to the epigraphic and numismatic evidence coming from the poleis of Apameia in Syria and Hierapolis of Phrygia, where Apollo was honoured as divine ἀρχηγέτης in imperial times. A reassessment of the available sources does not substantiate the claim that the mention of Apollo Ἀρχηγέτης in the inscriptions from Apameia, Hierapolis and other cities of the Greek East automatically points to cults going back to the Seleucid period.

The Engineering Approach to Conservation of Massive Archaeological Structures in Seismic Areas: The Apollo Nymphaeum in Hierapolis of Phrygia

ABSTRACT The safety conditions of archaeological remains in seismic areas are strongly jeopardised by a lack of structural completeness, which may trigger dynamic responses among parts and led to partial or overall collapses. However, some of those structures maintain their massive behaviour, which makes the dynamic characterisation difficult for possible predictive analyses. It is the case of the Nymphaeum of Apollo in Hierapolis of Phrygia (Turkey), an impressive stone block masonry structure of the 3rd c. CE, which lies over an active fault. The incomplete structural conditions and the presence of multi-leaf cross sections make this case study of great interest to verifying the reliability of using numerical models for assessment. The discrete element approach was applied to perform nonlinear dynamic analyses under increasing levels of seismicity. The numerical model was based on: i) the detailed shaping of blocks texture, and ii) the onsite inspections and non-destructive testing. Data was also implemented into the numerical model to perform sensitivity analyses. Results showed that the engineering approach proposed herein is able to overcome the challenges imposed by such a massive archaeological structure, facing the unknowns left over by experimental investigations with the opportunity offered by numerical methods such as discrete element modelling.

Notes on Late Roman Unguentaria from Hierapolis in Phrygia (Turkey): a Contribution to the Study of the Contents

The paper presents the results of a functional study of Late Roman unguentaria from Hierapolis of Phrygia, which includes the chemical characterisation of organic residues found in 30 stamped vessels by means of the GC-MS technique. Evidence from recent archaeological and archaeometric analyses suggests that LRUs were manufactured in western Anatolia.
 The study, centred on the identification of chemical biomarkers, aims to understand the formulation of the actual contents of the unguentaria, together with the production techniques used for balms and ointments. A key substance present in the LRUs analysed is storax resin, obtained from Liquidambar orientalis, a deciduous tree endemic to south-western Turkey and the island of Rhodes. The pharmacological characteristics of storax resin – well known in antiquity for its healing properties – are also discussed.

OBLIQUE IMAGES AND DIRECT PHOTOGRAMMETRY WITH A FIXED WING PLATFORM: FIRST TEST AND RESULTS IN HIERAPOLIS OF PHRYGIA (TK)

Abstract. The complex archaeological site documentation benefits for a long time now from the aerial point of view and remote sensing methods. Moreover, the recent research on UAV photogrammetry platform equipment and flight planning actively contribute in this sense for a scaling improvement and cost-benefits balance. Frequently, the experiences on articulated topographic profiles in archaeological excavations require not only a multi-sensor approach but also and above all a multiscale one. According to this line, in a general time-cost ration framework, the geometric content of the generated DSMs should be complete of nadir and oblique point of view for the accurate 3D reconstruction of both upstanding buildings and excavations. In the same way, also the radiometric content closely depends on sensor payload quality and is strictly affected by excavation site condition, related to the site material and light. In this research, carried out in the impressive archaeological site of the ancient city of Hierapolis in Phrygia (Turkey) in the autumn 2019 campaign, the main goal was to evaluate and validate the overall performance of a novel UAV fix-wing ultralight platform with onboard GNSS receiver for RTK/PPK processing of cameras positioning and with the possibility of oblique images capturing. The expected contribute in terms of the acquisition, processing time, radiometric enhancement and geometry 3D reconstruction will be explored with preliminary test and outcomes, and with the results of the high-scale DSM and orthoimage generation of the complete Hierapolis site.

I sarcofagi della necropoli nord di Hierapolis in contesto : due casi di studio

The contribution presents the preliminary results of three campaigns (2017-2019) of survey and study at Hierapolis in Phrygia (Turkey), conducted by archaeologists from the University of Pisa within the framework of the Italian Archaeological Mission at Hierapolis (MAIER). The ongoing research program has focused on the northern necropolis in this site, its monuments and sarcophagi (both in marble and local stone), with particular reference to buildings and artifacts from the II-IV centuries CE. The project addresses two closely related questions. Firstly, it aims at providing a full typological and stylistic account of the fragmentary marble sarcophagi from the northern necropolis now in the deposit of the Italian Archaeological Mission, mostly recovered from surveys and excavations in the area of tombs 169-174 during the early 1990s. These fragments seem to belong to semi-finished garland chests (likely produced by local craftsmen), as well as to columnar sarcophagi which find close parallels with types attributed to workshops from Docimium. Secondly, the project discusses a significant case study for the understanding of Roman sarcophagi in their architectural context. Thanks to a full review of the archaeological and epigraphic evidence from tomb 159c, it has been possible to reconstruct patterns and changes in ownership, use, and movement in a significant area of the necropolis across three centuries.

Water in the Lycus Valley (Hierapolis of Phrygia and Laodicea)

The paper addresses some issues on water and the water supply system of two cities of the Lycus Valley (Asia Minor) in the imperial age: Hierapolis of Phrygia and Laodicea on the Lycus. Many authors testify to the phenomenon of Hierapolis’ springs of hot waters. Vitruvius witnesses the use of water for the construction of fences in the first century BCE. So does Strabo more or less in the same time span, while the jurist of Augustan age, Antistius Labeo, refers precisely to the case of Hierapolis when treating the interdictum de aquis frigidis. In the second part of the article, some inscriptions of Laodicea referring to fountains and the water supply system are studied.

Acqua nella valle del Lico (Hierapolis di Frigia e Laodicea)

The paper addresses some issues on water and the water supply system of two cities of the Lycus Valley (Asia Minor) in the imperial age: Hierapolis of Phrygia and Laodicea on the Lycus. Many authors testify to the phenomenon of Hierapolis’ springs of hot waters. Vitruvius witnesses the use of water for the construction of fences in the first century BCE. So does Strabo more or less in the same time span, while the jurist of Augustan age, Antistius Labeo, refers precisely to the case of Hierapolis when treating the interdictum de aquis frigidis. In the second part of the article, some inscriptions of Laodicea referring to fountains and the water supply system are studied.

LIDAR DATA ANALYSES FOR ASSESSING THE CONSERVATION STATUS OF THE SO-CALLED BATHS-CHURCH IN HIERAPOLIS OF PHRYGIA (TR)

Abstract. The LiDAR technology has aroused considerable interest in the field of structural study of historical buildings, aimed at the structural assessment in the presence of different states of stresses and at the evaluation of the health status.The interest is due mostly by the ability of generating models of the built structures being able to predetermine different levels of schematization, two-dimensional and three-dimensional, in order to be able to perform evaluation processes assigning simplified geometric contents that correspond to the physical reality of the artefacts.This paper intends to report some results of these experiences applied in archaeological domain, to the so-called Baths-Church at Hierapolis in Phrygia (Pamukkale, TR). In particular, the generation of accurate models from dense clouds and their reduction to models with simplified geometries too, is explored, with the further aim of testing automated strategies for features detection and editing process that leads to appropriate models for visual and analytical structural assessment. The accuracy and density parameters of the LiDAR clouds will be analysed to derive orthophotos and continuous mesh models, both to obtain the best results from the application of research algorithms such as region growing to detect blocks, and to allow visual analysis on digital models and not on site.The ability to determine with high accuracy both the size and the anomalies of the wall systems (out of plumb and other rotation or local mechanisms of collapse), together with the possibility of identifying the lay of the individual drywall blocks and also the signs of cracks and collapses, allow deriving suitable models both for FE (Finite Elements) analysis and DE (Discrete Elements) analysis, as well as analytical ones.

Archaeometric and archaeological study of painted plaster from the Church of St. Philip in Hierapolis of Phrygia (Turkey)

This paper presents the results of archaeometric and archaeological study of the fragments of painted plaster discovered during the recent archaeological investigations inside the Church of the Apostle Philip in Hierapolis of Phrygia, one of the great Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine cities of southwestern Turkey (Pamukkale, Denizli Province).The analyses were firstly performed, directly on site, at the deposit of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Hierapolis where all the excavated materials were stored, using a protocol including non-invasive techniques based either on imaging (Ultraviolet fluorescence and Visible Induced Luminescence) or single spot analyses (Fiber Optic Reflectance Spectroscopy and portable X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometry). Then, the most representative and interesting samples were sampled for further studies with laboratory techniques such as optical and electron microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, micro-Raman and X-ray diffraction.The following pigments were identified: red ochres and minium for the red, lapislazuli and Egyptian blue for the blue, ochres for the yellow and carbon for the black. Lapislazuli and minium were found in the apse area, and, in particular, minium in the Early/Middle-Byzantine phase.Regarding the plasters, a different number of layers was identified for the Middle-Byzantine fragments that present an inner painted layer.

The Provenance of Marbles and Alabasters Used in the Monuments of Hierapolis in Phrygia (Turkey): New Information from a Systematic Review and Integration of Archaeological and Archaeometric Data

Determining the provenance of the stones used for ancient architectures is very important in order to reconstruct many social and economic questions linked to the life of a city. This paper integrates previous and new archaeometric data about marble and alabaster quarries in south-western Phrygia (Lykos valley), and offers a review of some results of the research activities carried out between the years 2013–2018 and aimed to reconstruct the building stone procurement strategies adopted in the city of Hierapolis in Phrygia across a broad chronological time span from the Hellenistic age to the Byzantine period. The research activities based on a multidisciplinary approach, integrating the archaeological and art-historian study of the monuments, the topographical investigation of the quarries, and the archaeometric characterisation both of extraction sites and marbles and alabasters used in the building sites of the urban area and in the necropolises.

Calcite alabaster artifacts from Hierapolis in Phrygia, Turkey: Provenance determination using carbon and oxygen stable isotopes

AbstractAlabastro fiorito or listato, a vividly colored and strongly patterned carbonate stone, is widely diffused in the ancient city of Hierapolis in Phrygia (Turkey) as building material. This stone, also known as Hierapolis alabaster, was extensively quarried in antiquity in the territory near the city. Numerous ancient quarries of the Hierapolis alabaster were documented in previous studies in sites immediately around the city and also about 13 km northwest of Hierapolis, near Gölemezli. Carbon and oxygen stable isotopes and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis were used to investigate the possibility to discriminate different quarries or different geographically coherent extraction areas; these techniques were also applied to analyze alabaster artifacts from some monuments of Hierapolis as a case study. The data show that carbon and oxygen isotopes may be effective at distinguishing between the quarries of Gölemezli and Hierapolis, and allow for attribution of unknown alabaster artifacts to one of these areas. The possibility to identify the provenance of unknown alabasters from the different extraction sites or geographically coherent extraction areas near Hierapolis using isotopes only is difficult; in some cases XRD analysis to detect aragonite versus calcite may improve the discrimination among Hierapolitan quarries and contribute to the assignment procedure.

UAV photogrammetry for archaeological site survey. 3D models at the Hierapolis in Phrygia (Turkey)

<p>Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry has shown a very rapid development in many fields, especially in archaeological excavation areas and architectural complexes, where it offers a detailed generation of three-dimensional (3D) data including the possibility of updating over time. It also proves to be a very flexible tool applicable to many types of complex areas with a variety of different features. The use of aerial acquisition provides highly effective results, adding to both rapid capture and lower costs. In fact, today in the field of archaeological research, great efforts are invested in the generation of very large-scale models and orthophotos, and the technology seems to promise further future developments, not only from the terrestrial (orthogonal) point of view, but also from the nadiral direction from a low altitude, as a preferential and often optimal point of view. Here an effective workflow for photogrammetric product generation is presented for selected case studies in some monumental areas of ancient Hierapolis in Phrygia (Turkey), in which the Italian Archaeological Mission of Hierapolis (MAIER) has been working since the 1960s. The recent experiences achieved by UAV photogrammetry are quite innovative. The variety and complexity of the buildings, as well as the height of their ruins, offer numerous challenges, which are interesting to deal with. The 3D aerial survey was performed for multiple purposes with the eBee system by Sensefly. Specific attention was paid to the digital surface model (DSM) and aerial orthoimages of three test areas: the Plutonium area; the Thermal Bath-Church; and the Necropolis. Starting from the same technical approach, a comparative assesment among the three sites was carried out, taking into account the specific goals, the type of the structure and the terrain conformation.</p>

Characterizing the Alabastro listato or fiorito of Hierapolis in Phrygia: A Simple Method to Identify its Provenance using Carbon Stable Isotopes

Alabastro listato or fiorito of Hierapolis in Phrygia was a prestigious coloured marble widely used in Roman architecture and decoration. This stone is generally identified in artefacts on autoptic examination, but it may sometimes be confused with alabasters of different provenances. This study describes a simple, but effective, scientific method to contribute to the determination of Hierapolis alabaster. Due to its unique genetic context, it is characterized by a distinctive carbon isotope signature. A comparison between the stable carbon isotope data from this paper and from the literature confirms the uniqueness of the isotopic character of Hierapolis alabaster. Carbon isotopes can ensure a reliably provenance attribution of the alabaster artefacts along with visual recognition by an expert eye.

Multi-temporal images and 3D dense models for archaeological site monitoring in Hierapolis of Phrygia (TK)

The archaeological areas are one of the fields in which the contribution of Geomatics techniques for Heritage documentation were employed since long time and are now getting popular. In recent times, TLS and RPAS systems become more and more interesting to be studied in excavations sites for monitoring purposes and solving large scale and comprehensive mapping matters both from terrestrial and aerial point of view. The paper will focuses on these issue and on the great challenge of monitoring sites during time, integrating and conforming multiple data coming from previous metric survey projects or image data collected in the past for different purposes. The test-sites is the complex archaeological landscape of the ancient city of Hierapolis in Phrygia on which the MAIER – Italian Archaeological Mission of Hierapolis operates from the 60s of the 20 th century and where Politecnico di Torino conducted several documentation survey campaigns. Some case studies in Hierapolis monumental areas about 3D modelling from image and range data represent nowadays an interesting attempt to answer these tasks. In particular, the presented cases involve many multi-temporal datasets that have been acquired by different university staffs in subsequent campaigns, in 1997, 2007, 2012, 2015, by employing various sensors following the evolution of the acquisition techniques offers by geomatics in the archaeological field surveys. 3D models are generated by terrestrial LiDAR and by terrestrial and aerial photogrammetric surveys; these dense models are intended to be compared and integrated with newer models generated by the UAV systems employed in last 2015 mission. In the Sacred Area of the Apollo Temple, two different datasets allow to perform investigation and comparisons before and after archaeological accommodation of the sepulchre of Apollo. The 3D model was created from images captured by a curbed balloon and further by another particular nadir point of view (a man harnessed and suspended from a crane collected photos using a Rollei semi-metric film camera); an UAV flight was performed lastly in 2015 by a EBee fix wing drone. On the other hand, in the massive complex of the Bath-Church the deeply damaged East wall was kept under observation during years until the securing intervention with a castle of tubes has been achieved: till that moment the pipes structure masks almost completely the wall, even during the last Lidar survey performed in 2012. The integration with previous images datasets collected before the securing intervention and used to generate a 3D model, want to overcome this limitation in a multi-temporal integration. In such perspective, 3D data derived from digital acquisition and modelling constantly contribute to build a knowledge on the site and help to improve their communication. Furthermore the combination of digital models and direct observations of the excavations results can improve the enhancement of the dissemination aims.

Liv og død i Hierapolis Norske utgravninger i en hellenistisk–romersk–bysantinsk by i Lilleasia

Life and Death at Hierapolis. Norwegian excavations in a Hellenistic–Roman–Byzantine town in Asia Minor From 2007 to 2015 the University of Oslo, invited by The Italian Archaeological Mission at Hierapolis in Phrygia, conducted archaeological research in the North-East Necropolis at Hierapolis. The aim of the project was to document all visible tombs and sarcophagi of the necropolis and excavate selected tomb areas and tombs. The research, including osteological, DNA- and isotope-analyses, investigated the life of the inhabitants over a long period of time (ca. 100–1300 A.C.) with reference to tomb architecture, landscape perception, organization, entrepreneurship, ritual practices, genetic relations and origins, demography, health, sickness, diets, and individual movement patterns. Many of the aims are answered in the article, here shall only be mentioned two important discoveries: cremation has been documented as late as the 5th/6th centuries A.C., in periods of crisis perhaps used to signal pagan opposition to imposed Christian practices; the life conditions in the Roman/Early Byzantine period were much better than in that of the Middle Byzantine period.

Rilievo e ricostruzione virtuale del Ponte Sud di Hierapolis di Frigia (Turchia)

<p>The paper concerns the topographical survey and the 3D reconstruction of a Roman bridge-aqueduct located immediately to the south of Hierapolis in Phrygia (south-western Turkey), along the ancient route directed to Colosse and the internal Anatolia; only its southern abutment and scarce remains of the northern one are preserved. It is in a very difficult location, inside the narrow and deep valley, and it was never studied before. During the 2011 field work campaign of the Italian Archaeological Mission, it was surveyed using a high precision differential GPS system (for the plan documentation and its positioning in the digital archaeological map of Hierapolis) and through a Motorized Robotic Total Station (for the documentation of the elevation and the creation of a 3D model of the southern side) with the aim of its virtual reconstruction.</p>

Integrated geophysical investigations in Hierapolis of Phrygia (Turkey)

This paper concerns the various methods of geophysical prospecting (ground‐penetrating radar, magnetometry and electrical resistivity tomography) applied in Hierapolis of Phrygia, by the Italian Archaeological Mission, during the campaigns of 2007 and 2008. In one case, GPR measurements were verified through excavations during the campaign of 2010, which clarified the causes of different anomalies. The integration between the different methods (in turn integrated with other exploration methods of the surface, such as archaeological surveys and remote sensing from an aerial platform and satellite), applied in areas of the city with different geological characteristics, allowed the retrieval of important data on the urban layout in areas characterized by thick colluvial and alluvial deposits and in areas where there are extensive limestone formations that have formed recently (after an earthquake in the middle of the 7th century AD) and have been incorporated into the ancient remains.

Book Review of Roman Sculpture in Asia Minor: Proceedings of the International Conference to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Italian Excavations at Hierapolis in Phrygia, Held on May 24–26, 2007, in Cavallino (Lecce), edited by F. D'Andria and I. Romeo

Why were the cities of Roman Asia Minor so conspicuously adorned with sculpture? What did those sculptures mean to ancient viewers? And who decided what those sculptures would look like or where they would be set up? Anyone who has asked themselves these or similar questions will find much that is stimulating in this volume.