Defence System
Located on a high hill in the Pamphylian Plains, Sillyon is discernible from everywhere in the region; this situation offers Sillyon a wide angle of view. In fact, the city’s advantageous position among the cities of the region with regards to defence is further reinforced with the advantage of dominating over the plains. It is understood that Sillyon’s defence system was in use at least from the Classical period through the Turkish-Islamic period. Apparently, the city never lost its defensive character with its naturally protected topography, and defence was Sillyon’s fundamental character.
The city’s defence has two development areas as the Lower City and the Acropolis. The Acropolis on the upper part of the natural rocky hill, and the southwest, west and northwest of the city, which make up the Lower City, are suitable for settlement. Naturally, the fortification system and public spaces are clustered here. The Lower City is protected by a city wall about 1000 m long, which is shaped from the southwest to the north. On the other hand, only the western part of the Acropolis is surrounded by city walls; other areas were protected naturally via the steep cliffs. The topography was followed and the available level grounds were used as much as possible. Sillyon, a settlement which developed depending on the terrain, is also distinguished from other cities in Pamphylia for this aspect.
Bastions
In antiquity, large towers, independent of the city walls, designed to strengthen defences by placing war machines were referred to as bastions. There are two bastions in the city, one in the Lower City and one in the Acropolis. Bastion 1, one of the most robust structures in Sillyon, is oriented in the northwest-southeast direction on bedrock and is located on the southwestern slope of the city, about 70 m northeast of the Main City Gate, about 52 m east of the Roman Baths, just east of the Ramped Street leading to the Acropolis. Intact on three sides and offering details up to the crenelations on top, this structure is one of the earliest structures of the city’s defence and attributed to the Hellenistic period.
Bastion 2 is located in the southwestern part of the Acropolis, south of the Kastron, on the same axis as Bastion 1 in the Lower City and indeed at a point that dominates the Pamphylian plains. The walls of the structure are adapted to the terrain. Its south, west and north walls are intact, and the east wall has collapsed. The south wall connects to the Acropolis South Gate. The area where the structure is located was levelled. This structure is dated to the Byzantine period when the city moved up the Acropolis, and is considered an important part of the city’s defence system established in this period.
Towers
The towers are among the essential structures that make up Sillyon’s city walls. Five towers were built on the walls of the Lower City and four towers, each with a different plan, were built for the defence of the Acropolis. The towers on the walls of the Lower City were built quadrangular in shape at strategic points. Among them, Tower 1, also known as the Hellenistic Tower, is the symbol of the city. This structure has survived up to the roof level and provides us with details of the city’s defence. There is a doorway on the ground floor of this three-storey tower and it provides a secondary entrance to the city in the northwest direction. All of the towers in the Lower City were built in the Hellenistic period and were used for a long time. All of the Acropolis towers are dated to the Byzantine period. These towers step forth as important parts of the new defence system built in the Byzantine period when the city got smaller and shrank to the Acropolis. The towers were built in accordance with the topography and rocky terrain; they are connected to the city wall without a certain order, rather taking into account strategic concerns. It can be stated that these towers functioned for surveillance and signalling rather than active defence.
Defensive Walls
It is noted that the walls of the Lower City connect to the Main City Gate after Tower 5 in the south of the city, from there they turn west, then make a turn and continue northeastward, and reach the Acropolis by making a curve in the north. Thus, apparently the walls of the Lower City follow roughly the shortest possible path, encircling the city on the west and connecting to the Acropolis. All strategically important parts of the Lower City that were vulnerable to attacks were encircled with walls. The walls of the Lower City rest on areas hewn out of bedrock at many points; at some places the curtain walls follow the contours of the bedrock. Thus, it is understood that the city walls were built according to the topography not to a premeditated layout. In other words, the walls often change direction and form stretches and elbows in order to adapt to the terrain. Although the defensive walls of the Lower City have collapsed at places, it is understood that the general layout has survived. The deterioration of the wall lines at some points is due to the fact that the wall blocks were spoliated as read to use material in other buildings. At the Acropolis, the topography of Sillyon has created a natural defence line; walls were built only on streets and partially at dangerous spots. The surviving walls here belong mostly to the Byzantine and Turkish-Islamic periods.
Gates
Gates have an important place in Sillyon’s defence system. The Main City Gate, the Acropolis North Gate and the Acropolis South Gate were presented above as they are major structures. In addition to them, Sillyon has five gates at different points in the city and one secondary road leading to the Acropolis via the rocky area. These gates are dated to the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods. Gate 2, Gate 3 and Gate 4 are considered as a continuation of the cascaded defence within the city. Gate 1 is located at the Hellenistic Tower and provides a secondary entrance to the city. Gate 5, on the other hand, is a structure that was included in the new defence setup of the city in the Byzantine period and provided access to the Acropolis. South Lateral Entranceway, popularly known as the Cat Stairs, provides a stepped accessway, perhaps a sally port, at a hidden spot on the southern slope of the Acropolis.
