Research History

Detailed study on Sillyon, one of the important cities of Pamphylia, started much later than the other cities in the region. Nevertheless, the city has been at the focus of study frequently since the nineteenth century when archaeology appeared as a discipline. Below, first the ancient sources mentioning the city, then the studies on Sillyon since the eighteenth century are summarized.

The first ancient writer to mention Sillyon was Pseudo-Skylax, who lived in the fourth century BC. The author writes that the Pamphylia region comes after Lycia and that the Eurymedon River passes near the cities of the region and as regional cities mentions the names of Aspendos, Side, a colony of Kyme, and Sillyon. Arrian is the one who gives the most detailed and interesting information about Sillyon. In his work The Expedition of Alexander (Anabasis Aleksandrou), he writes; “Alexander left some soldiers on Side and moved towards Sillyon. This was a fortified place defended by foreign mercenaries and a force made up of locals. Sillyon was unlikely to be taken quickly by a sudden attack. In addition, on the way, there have even been reports that the Aspendians do not want to fulfil any of the agreed conditions, both horses and money they do not give, on the contrary, they did not bring Alexander’s soldiers into the city by moving everything from the villages to the city that they were even trying to repair the ruined walls of the city. And this news forced Alexander to move towards Aspendos.” The historian Livy states that in the Hellenistic period, Sillyon was under the control of Rome along with Kibyra and the place called Limnen. In the geographer Strabo’s work, Sillyon is mentioned as “... Then, about forty stadia above the sea, one comes to Syllion, a lofty city that is visible from Perge....” Sillyon is mentioned many times in the Synekdemos by the famous Byzantine geographer Hierokles, who lived in the sixth century AD. Also, during these periods, in the Notitiae Episcopatuum Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae, which consists of official texts on churches and dioceses in the eastern countries under Constantinople, the name Sillyon appears in different ways. Sillyon is given here in three ways as under the Episcopacy of Perge, Metropolitan and Perge-Sillyon Metropolitan. Evliya Chelebi mentions Sillyon in his Seyahatname, i.e. travelogue. During his trip across Anatolia, he came to Antalya region and visited many settlements there. Statements related to Sillyon are not encountered directly in Chelebi’s related quotations. However, it is understood that the Kara-Teke Kale (Castle) he mentioned here is Sillyon. Ottoman scientist Kâtip Chelebi (1609-1657), who lived around the same time as Evliya Chelebi, also mentions Teke Hisarı in his work Cihannüma.

  

 

1750

In his three-volume book ttiled Oriens Christianus published in 1750, Le Quien divides Pamphylia into two as Pamphylia Primae and Pamphylia Secundae. The author gives Sillyon as the second city of Pamphylia Secundae after Perge. In this section about Sillyon, the churches and bishops of the city are covered.

1842

The history of expeditions to the city of Sillyon goes back a long way. E. T.

Daniell is the first western traveller to study Sillyon. During his trip to Pamphylia in 1842, he also stopped by Sillyon and made a coloured drawing of the city.

1847

T. A. B. Spratt – E. Forbes were among the first authors to mention Sillyon. The settlement was identified as Sillyon and localized in 1847. Spratt and Forbes suggested that the garrison here was that of either the Great King or his satrap.

1862

Ch. Texier devoted a chapter to Sillyon in his work Asie Mineure.

1875

In his work Reise im südwestlichen Kleinasien, G.Hirschfelds also wrote about what he saw at Sillyon while conveying his impressions of Perge. Hirschfelds, who visited Sillyon with his team on May 1, 1874, described the village of Asar as a Yörük (Turkish nomads in Anatolia) village and that they had set up their tents next to a spring.

1880

In the work titled On Some Pamphylian Inscriptions published by W. M. Ramsay and A. H. Sayce in 1880, several inscriptions from Sillyon were presented and an in-depth study was carried out on the language used in the inscriptions.

1889

In the study entitled Inscriptions de Syllion en Pamphylie published by P. Radet and G. A. Paris, three inscriptions from Sillyon were discussed.

1890

Scientific trips conducted by a team of researchers including G. Niemann and E. Petersen under the direction of V. K. G. Lanckoroński focused on the main cities of Pamphylia, the relévé of many buildings were prepared and pictures were drawn; and these were published in the book Städte Pamphyliens und Pisidiens. A large section is devoted to Sillyon in this publication. In this study of importance for being the first topographical research on the city, the plan of the city was drawn, plans, cross-sections and depictions of many buildings were also drawn.

1947

H. Metzger’s thoughts about Sillyon in his work titled Notes from a Travel in Southern Anatolia published in 1947 are as follows: “From the last steep slopes of the Lycian coasts to the vicinity of Manavgat, one cannot get enough of the view of the wide Pamphylian plain from the top. To the north, Taurus covers us like a terrifying set. It is easy to understand why the mountain people living in the regions around here always covet this fertile plain, which is protected from the north winds and is extremely wet, and what is expected of the Sillyon fortress in the endless battles against the looters.”

1950-1990

D. Hereward, in his work Inscriptions from Pamphylia and Isauria published in 1958, mentions two inscriptions found in Sillyon. These are the inscription within a panel on a rock to the west of the city and the single line (the name Mopsos inscribed) inscription on the Byzantine city wall.

C. Brixhe stands out as the scholar focusing on the inscriptions of Sillyon. He studied a bronze tablet with our lines of inscription and dated to the Hellenistic period, which was sold at an auction in Istanbul, as well as the inscriptions on the bases of two male statues of limestone found in the city.

 

G. Bean was the first scholar to come to the region after the Second World War. Sillyon is mentioned in detail in his book titled Turkey’s Southern Shore, published in 1968. Here we see the second comprehensive topographical study on Sillyon after Lanckoroński. Bean used Lanckoroński's drawings and redrew the city plan.

Ş. Yetkin, in her article titled “The Turkish Monuments in Sillyon (Yanköy Hisarı)” published in 1978, discussed the Turkish period structures in the city. In the article, she emphasizes that she could not do much work in the city, but there are important structures from the Turkish period.

 

In the study titled “The Metropolitan City of Syllion and its Churches” published by V. S. J. Ruggieri and F. Nethercott in 1986, details about the Byzantine period of Sillyon are emphasized and the buildings dating to this period are presented in detail.

 

The inscription mentioning Saint Tribimis of Sillyon was published in SEG 38 (Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum) and said to have been martyred together with Bishop Nestor either in Perge or Sillyon in the reign of Decius during the Roman Imperial period is extremely important for the history of Sillyon.

 

In the article “A Family from Sillyon” written by R. Van Bremen in 1994, inscriptions found in Sillyon and describing the philanthropist (euergetes) Menodora and her family dating back to the second century AD were explored. Considering the previous epigraphic studies, the place of Menodora and her family in the history of the city was investigated.

1995-1997

The first systematic researches in Sillyon were initiated by a team led by M. Küpper. These surveys continued for three seasons in 1995, 1996 and 1997, and important results were obtained in the light of new findings. The striking point in the surveys is that the city map was started to be drawn in detail for the first time. However, the city map could not be completed as the research halted. This survey covered not only Sillyon but also the settlements around.

1998

In the article “Zwei Epigramme und seine Sonnenuhr im kaiserzeitlichen Sillyon” by H. U. Wiemer, details on two inscriptions found in Yanköy, just northeast of Sillyon, during the surveys in 1997, were presented.

2004

H. Hellenkemper and F. Hild also included Sillyon in their book Tabula Imperii Byzantini 8: Pamphylien und Lykien (TIB 8) and provided detailed information especially about the Christian period of the city and its buildings in this period. It was proposed that the city had a religious character in the period between eighth and fifteenth centuries and became the religious centre of Pamphylia during this period.

2007

B. Varkıvanç, “Zum Fenster des sog. Hellenistischen Baues in Sillyon” offers new suggestions for the window of a building at the Acropolis, dated to the Hellenistic period and previously studied by Lanckoroński.

2008

N. Tüner-Önen introduced in her work “Römische Bürger in Sillyon” three honouring inscriptions on the city walls in the west of the Acropolis, repaired in the Byzantine period. The author states that the honourees were members of the Roman Senate and proposes that these inscriptions should have been put up in the Main Street of the city.

2009-2011

Surveys were conducted between 2009-2011 by a team under the direction of E. Özer. In this study, the structures and cultural elements in the city and environs were identified, documented and scientific reports were prepared. The surveys identified many structures and cultural assets dated to various periods and reflecting the historical development of Sillyon in Kepez, Gökçepınar, Tekke Village, Şatırlar, Yanköy and Eski Yörük villages in the hinterland of Sillyon.

2017

The doctoral thesis Defence System of the Ancient City of Sillyon and its Place in Pamphylia Region was completed by M. Taşkıran; this study aims to determine the defensive character of the city and its position in Pamphylia by identifying all the structures that make up Sillyon’s defence system; it also draws attention as the most detailed study of the city to date.

2018-2019

With an interdisciplinary approach, Surveys in and around Sillyon under the direction of M. Taşkıran aimed to determine all the details of its historical process from its early stage to the time of abandonment and were conducted in 2018 and 2019 with the permit granted by General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The results of these surveys were published in the book titled Sillyon and Its Environs in the Light of Surveys, Sillyon Studies I in 2020.

2020

First systematic excavations started under the direction of Antalya Museum and academic supervision of Dr. Murat Taşkıran of Pamukkale University Faculty of Letters and Sciences Department of Archaeology.

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