Panel 5.16 – Men, Goods and Ideas traveling over the sea: Cilicia at the crossroad of Eastern Mediterranean trade network

Organiser/Chair:

• Eugenia Equini Schneider (Sapienza University of Rome)

Speakers:

• Pascal Arnaud (Université Lyon 2)
  Non-coastal Cilician cities and their maritime outlets
• Hakan Oniz (Selcuk University)
  Dana Island Shipyard and Underwater Research of the Cilicia Coast-2017
• Kamil Levent Zoroğlu
  A new context of the Late Roman Pottery from Kelenderis in Cilicia
• Claudia Tempesta
  Under the auspices of Aphrodite Euploia: port infrastructure and urban transformation at Elaiussa Sebaste from the Hellenistic to Byzantine ages
• Annalisa Polosa (Sapienza Università di Roma)
  Monetization
• Edoardo Radaelli (The University of Southampton & 'Sapienza' - Università di Roma)
  Cilician amphorae in Rome and Ostia during the Middle Imperial age (2nd–early 3rd centuries AD) and reflections about the consumption of their contents
• Veronica Iacomi
  Pottery production in urban landscape and the overegional commerce: LR1 amphorae at Elaiussa and beyond

Thanks to its specific geographical positiion, at the cross-roads of the most important sea and land routes, in a necessary point of transition and interconnection between Syria, Cyprus and Egypt, Cilicia has always played a distinctive role within the context of cultural and commercial exchanges in the mediterranean area. In particular,during its romanization, that gradually took place and was subsequently intensified with the constitution of the province, were of fundamental importance the commercial relations with various areas of the empire and in particular with the Eastern Mediterranean, which were substantially and constantly maintained until the first Byzantine age. This area of Anatolia has recently become in the last years, object of a renewed interest on behalf of Turkish and International universities and research institutions. Aim of the panel will be the assessment of the present knowledge on production exchanges, trade and transport in the Mediterranean , analyzing and discussing new diachronic evidence of the network of Cilicia's relations and outlining an exhaustive picture of the changes involving the region throughout the centuries in particular as a result of large-scale economic and social processes. The definition of the sea and land-routes that connected the coastal settlements of Cilicia to other regions of the Mediterranean basin will be defined through the integrated use of underwater research, archaeological and geophysical investigation about the harbors' basins, study of the production facilities, analysis of material culture and numismatic evidence. This will provide a great amount of information about the role played by the region - both as a production center and a market place – within the network of the ancient Mediterranean trade-routes, implementing data concerning Roman and Byzantine port basins and creating standard samples for comparative use by other research programs underway in Cilicia and in eastern and southern Turkey.

1. Pascal Arnaud (Université Lyon 2)

Non-coastal Cilician cities and their maritime outlets
The preparation of the commented edition of the so-called Stadiasmus Maris Magni on behalf of Brill’s Neue Jacoby vol 5 has focused my attention on striking links between non-coastal cities and the sea. The sources used by the Stadiasmus Maris Magni between Syria and Caria generally go back to the IId century BC and can sometimes be assigned to the reign of Antiochus IV. They are always older than the Roman conquest. They pay much attention to the relationship between non-coastal cities and the sea, considering these cities as maritime cities. The description of Cilicia, combined with other sources provides us with an interesting set of case-studies for understanding what a maritime city could be, how far from the sea it could be, how it could be linked to the sea and the kind of infrastructure these links relied on, and the kind of boats that make these possible. A higher tonnage and draft, using round ships instead of oared merchant-galleys would prevent boats from sailing upstream and impose transhipment somewhere close to the river-mouth and deeper maritime harbours or ports. As long as medium-sized merchant-galleys used to be the commonest merchantmen within the Mediterranean (roughly until the early Ist cent. BC) cities situated rather far inland and upstream such as Rome or Pella could be considered as maritime cities. This is an opportunity to revisit part of the Cilician hinterland, its complex relationship to the Sea (including piracy) and its evolution.
Many issues regarding historical topography and coastal paleo-morphology do arise, especially – but not only – in the cases of Mallus/ Antioch-on-the-Pyramus/ Magarsus or Holmoï / Seleucia-on-the-Calycadnos.
It appears that navigable rivers and, to lesser extent, lagoons were key links between sea and the interior. It also appears that even when river-borne traffic was possible, terrestrial shortcuts could also exist, like the rock-cut (?) stairs that led from the sea to the road to Seleucia-on-the-Kalykadnos in an poorly sheltered area.
This lecture will eventually address the notion of port as infrastructure and show that important ports could be deprived of the most visible port infrastructure, such as moles, jetties or quays. River mouths, lagoons, sheltered or unsheltered areas, beaches could be sufficient ‘ports’, or interfaces between Sea and land devoted to lading and unloading ships.

2. Hakan Oniz (Selcuk University)

Dana Island Shipyard and Underwater Research of the Cilicia Coast-2017
In the east of the Rough Cilicia region on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, 276 rock-cut slipways were found in 2015 and 2016 on Dana Island which is located 2,300 meters from the shores of the Silifke District of Mersin Province. On the island, there are also a great number of different remains such as work-shops, governmental buildings, houses, watch towers, fortification walls, temple elements, churchs and 170 cisterns behind of these slipways. Almost all part of the remains show a great shipyard complex. There are traces which show multiple uses in building remains, located both in the slipways and behind the slipways. The surface materials were dated from Iron Age to 6th Century AD. However some obsidian and stone tools which were found in 2017 also show the possibility of Neolitic and Bronze Age on the island. Among the artefacts found during underwater researches carried out around the island in 2015 were stone anchors, Iron Age stone stocks of wooden anchors, iron anchors dated to the Roman and Eastern Roman periods, and four amphora-loaded shipwrecks which were dated to the Iron Age and after. In this speech, underwater research of Cilicia in 2017 will be transffered shortly to the listeners.

3. Kamil Levent Zoroğlu

A new context of the Late Roman Pottery from Kelenderis in Cilicia
During the excavations in the West Necropolis in we have uncovered a tomb complex dated to the 3rd century AD named K.16 BN TM I. After a catastrophe occurred probably in the second half of the third century AD, building of this tomb complex renewed and added new rooms either inside of the main building or constructed separately by the main building. Inside of fill of these rooms we have unearthed various vases, mainly transport amphora of the LR1A, Cypriot-Red Glazed bowls, depot-vases and local pottery, the latter of which we called “Vases with knobbed-hollow foot”.
In my presentation I will discuss the date and distribution of the each groups of this context in order to propose the relation of Kelenderis with other sites in East Mediterranean Region.

4. Claudia Tempesta / Maria Francesca Pipere / Valentina Cassiani

Under the auspices of Aphrodite Euploia: port infrastructure and urban transformation at Elaiussa Sebaste from the Hellenistic to Byzantine ages
The historical and urbanistic development of Elaiussa Sebasted is strictly connected to the maritime role that it has been played since the time of founding, between the end of 2nd and the beginning of the 1st century B.C. This is clearly showed not only by the position of the city on a rocky promontory flanked by two natural harbours (both now almost totally silted), but also by the silver tetradrachms and bronze coins that the city strucked in the Hellenistic period, representing the goddes Aphrodite Euploia and the symbol of aphlaston.
The natural maritime and port vocation of the city found full definition since the Augustan age and even more after Vespasian's definitive annexation of Cilicia to the Empire, when the economic growth of the city required the building of a network of port facilities, such as warehouse complexes and concrete quays and moles.
These port infrastructures were fully developed about the mid-second century A.D., when the whole city was rebuilt according a monumental layout. The road that bordered the promontory was monumentalised with the building of a curved colonnaded portico, creating a very impressive frame for the northern harbor. Despite of its monumental layout, it was however very exposed to the prevailing marine currents; as a consequence, since the Byzantine period the northern has gradually been losing its importance, as showed by the placement of the productive structures (such as kilns) along the southern harbour.

5. Annalisa Polosa (Sapienza Università di Roma)

Monetization
Coins are not often taken into consideration when speaking about ancient economies, mainly because fully moneyed economies are not widespread in the ancient world.
But numismatic data concerning coin production (mints and their organization, output, monetary metals) and coin circulation (hoards, excavation finds) can highlight a better definition of economic activities in a given place and at a given time.
The case of Elaiussa Sebaste in Rough Cilicia will be examined, where more than 2000 coins have been unearthed during the excavations, ranging from the middle Hellenistic to the early Byzantine period.

6. Edoardo Radaelli (The University of Southampton & 'Sapienza' / Università di Roma)

Cilician amphorae in Rome and Ostia during the Middle Imperial age (2nd–early 3rd centuries AD) and reflections about the consumption of their contents
The recent stratigraphic excavations (carried out from 2007 to 2013 by the ‘Scienze dell’Antichità’ Department of the ‘Sapienza’ - University of Rome) in the building commonly known as the ‘Terme di Elagabalo’ in Rome revealed large quantities of unpublished pottery fragments. In the contexts dated to the Middle Imperial age of this site (2nd–early 3rd centuries AD), the amphorae cover the majority of finds. The data derived from the amphorae found in these contexts in the ‘Terme di Elagabalo’ had been added to those derived from other published excavations carried out in Rome and then compared with the amounts in Ostia. The quantities found in both cities, the commonly accepted chronologies, origins, and volumes of the forms identified led to ponder over the presence of Cilician amphorae which had been imported to Rome and Ostia during that chronological period (in spite of the low quantities). The study also includes another analysis which scrutinised all ancient sources mentioning this same origin and the recent studies about its production facilities in order to identify (when and if possible) the quality of the wine contained in these amphorae. In fact, this study will also involve a consideration about the imports and trade of Cilician wine arriving in both cities, also trying to suggest their hypothetical purchasers with even a reflection about the consumption of this alcoholic beverage using theories derived from social sciences which could be applied to Roman times.

7. Veronica Iacomi

Pottery production in urban landscape and the overegional commerce: LR1 amphorae at Elaiussa and beyond
The discovery of several pottery kilns at Elaiussa has offered a new perspective to the investigation on production and distribution patterns of LR1 amphoras. Despite some aspects of the matter still remain elusive, especially when related to the supplying of primary sources for instance or the detailed organization of the productive system, still the analysis of the excavation results allows to propose an interesting insight on some questions which will be discussed in this speech.
In particular, specific reference will be made on:
- Distribution of the kilns and related workshops, when attested, within the urban layout of Elaiussa: the city resulted interested in massive changes during the early Byzantine period (IV – mid-VII cen. AD), which led to the reorganization of urbanized spaces in order to foster LR1 amphoras production;
- Chronology of the kilns/workshops as possibly related to changed consumption needs within the frame of the economy of Byzantium: some hints, in facts, would suggest deep diacronic changes during the considered time-span, whose nature will be taken into account;
- On the light of the previous points, chronological comparison will be made with distribution patterns of LR1 amphoras as emerging from excavation results in major commercial centers of the Mediterranean, in order to better understand the scale of Cilician productions in the frame of the whole Byzantine empire, and beyond.