2021 EXCAVATION, CONSERVATION AND REPAIR WORKS
With the verdict of the Council of Ministers dated 03.10.2016 and numbered 2016/ 9336, archaeological excavation and restoration works in the ancient city of Tripolis on behalf of the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism, General Directorate of Cultural Assets and Museums and Pamukkale University are carried out under the presidency of Prof. Dr. Bahadır Duman.
Academicians, experts and students from different disciplines including archaeologists, art historians, restorers, numismatists, epigraphists, geologists, biologists, architects and anthropologists have participated in the excavations.
1. EXCAVATIONS
The 2021 excavations were carried out in different areas such as the South Street of the Housing Area, Roman Tabernas (Taberna 3 and 4), Sanctuary Courtyard, Main Street Sewer Line, Main Street North Section and Main Street East Portico Shop Lines (Brick Vaulted Structure).
1.1. Residential Area South Street
Excavations in the Housing Area located in the insula south of the Colonnaded Street started in 2013. As of the end of 2020, as a result of the excavations carried out in this area, the Mosaic House and a large part of the residential structure to the south and 87 m of the street extending in the north-south direction from the eastern adjacent of these structures were exposed. During the 2020 excavations, 130 m south parallel to the Colonnaded Street, another intermediate street was encountered that cuts the Mosaic House East Street perpendicularly in the east-west direction, and this street was named "Mosaic House South Street".
In order to determine the phases of use of Mosaic House South Street and to understand its relationship with the other spaces around it, it was included in the excavation program for 2021. In line with this plan, another 58 m of the street was excavated to the east and a total of 62 m of the street was excavated from the intersection of Mosaic House East Street. The 5 m wide street is bounded on the south and north by walls built with large and medium-sized tea stones, cut travertine stones, bricks and lime mortar in a double-row knitting system. These walls, which vary between 60 and 75 cm in thickness, also constitute the outer body walls of the other buildings to the north and south of the street. The north wall of the street is more preserved than the south wall. Three door openings were found on the north wall, through which access to the buildings on the north of the street was provided. These buildings to the north of the street have not been excavated yet, and it is assumed that they are multi-roomed, villa-type Roman houses consisting of living and storage areas around a central courtyard (similar in plan to the Mosaic House and the building complex to the south).
In the northern half of the first 20 m of the street, there are quadrangular workshops built adjacent to each other and leaning against the northern wall of the street. It was determined that this area consisting of these workshops, which provide various functions such as workbenches, storage and resting, was built during the last phase of use of the street. Two different floor arrangements belonging to the different use phases of the street were encountered. In both periods, the street floor was formed with compacted soil and lime mortar. Clean water lines formed by terracotta pipes with lengths varying between 32 and 39 cm pass under these floor arrangements. Starting from the 44th m of the street from west to east, a second street was encountered which cuts the south street perpendicularly and extends in the north-south direction. The street in question is named "Mosaic House East Street 2" and a 5 m section of the street towards north and south was made visible. The width of the street was measured as 5.50 m in the south and 6.50 m in the north. In the middle of the street there is a sewer line running north-south. The line was covered with flat-faced, rough-sawn travertine blocks ranging in width from 75 cm to 145 cm and in length from 180 cm to 220 cm, and these cover stones also form the floor of the middle part of the street. In the middle of the intersection point formed by the perpendicular intersection of the east-west oriented street and the north-south oriented street, there is a 60x65 cm diameter canal cleaning shaft (manhole).
1.2. 1.2. Roman Period Tabernas (Shops)
There are Roman Period shops in the area between the Colonnaded Street and the Arched Building, east of the Early Byzantine Church 4. Among these shops, Taberna 1A and B, Taberna 2 have been excavated, and the excavation of Taberna 3 and Taberna 4 has been included in the excavation program for 2021 in order to reveal the continuation of the shop row to the east.
1.2.1. Taberna 3
Taberna 3, located to the east of Taberna 2, has a rectangular plan and measures 7x4.35 m inside. Its surface is partially preserved and the frescoed shop walls (from the shop floor level) were preserved up to an average height of 4 m. In the preserved parts of the fresco; it was observed that there are floral decorations such as girlant, ivy, poppy in these panels divided into panels of 90 cm each with 2 cm thick red border lines on a white background.
In the southeast inner corner of the building, there is a hearth arrangement measuring 120x100 cm, and in the southwest inner corner, there is a cellar arrangement measuring 170x115x150 cm, built in the form of an arch with terracotta bricks. The entrance to the building is provided through the doorway in the south wall from the Colonnaded Street. Considering the bead holes on the walls and the height of the walls, it is understood that the shop had two floors.
In the light of the data obtained from the excavations carried out inside the shop, it is understood that the building was used as a restaurant from the 2nd to the 5th century AD. With the construction of the city wall, the entrance on the south wall was canceled and the shop lost its function and fell out of use.
The building is divided into two different usage areas with a parapet arrangement extending east-west with a height of 1 m. There is an opening on the parapet line that provides access to the northern and southern halves of the building. The section to the south of the line was used as the section where the food was prepared and the section to the north was used as the section where the food was served to the customers.
1.2.2. Taberna 4
Taberna 4, located to the east of Taberna 3, has a rectangular plan and measures 7 x 4.30 m inside. The entrance to the building is through the doorway in the south wall via the Colonnaded Street. The walls of the building were preserved up to an average height of 3 m. It was found that the surface of these walls was covered with frescoes. However, the fresco arrangement has not survived to the present day except for the west and northwest interior façades of the building. As far as it is understood from the partially preserved areas of the fresco arrangement, it is understood that the wall surface was decorated with floral and geometric decorations using red, burgundy and green colors on a white/cream background.
The ongoing studies revealed that the shop had two floors and the upper floor was separated from the first floor with wooden material.
The shop, which was in use since the 2nd century AD, fell out of use with the construction of the city wall at the beginning of the 5th century AD. After the disuse of the shop, clean water lines made of terracotta cylinders extending in the north-south direction were passed through this structure.
1.3. Courtyard of the Sanctuary
The sanctuary, which is one of the public buildings built in the city center, was surrounded by temenos walls and the structure was given mobility with a columned gallery and portico arrangement. In the center of the sanctuary is a courtyard measuring 36 m from north to south and 70 m from east to west. This courtyard is covered with approximately 3 m high backfill soil. Since 2019, a large part of the fill soil has been excavated in a controlled manner. In order to obtain more detailed data about the usage phases of the Sacred Area Courtyard, studies were carried out in this area by including it in the excavation program of 2021.
During the excavations, two sewer lines, 65 cm wide and 140 cm deep in the north-south direction and 85 cm wide and 150 cm deep in the northeast-southwest direction, were encountered.
Three different funnel lines with diameters of 16, 20 and 40 cm, varying between 40 and 45 cm in length and running in the northeast-southwest direction were encountered. It was determined that the line with a diameter of approximately 40 cm was one of the main water lines that met the clean water demand of the city.
During the excavations, the remains of a 110 cm thick wall, which is thought to belong to a monumental structure (temple?), built with small and medium-sized tea stones and lime mortar in the north-south direction were encountered.
According to the archaeological data obtained as a result of the excavations in the courtyard of the sanctuary, it is understood that the area was in continuous use from the 1st century BC (Late Hellenistic-Early Roman Imperial Period) until the 7th century AD.
1.4. Main Street
In the 2021 excavation program, it was important to carry out excavations on Main Street, one of the main north-south arteries of the city, due to compulsory reasons. Excavations were carried out at two different points. The first excavation was carried out on the Main Street line of the sewerage system, which forms the infrastructure of the city, and the second excavation was carried out in the fill soil north of the street.
1.4.1. Main Street Sewer Line
In June 2021, torrential rains in and around Denizli caused flooding in some areas of the city. The southern section of the north-south oriented ancient sewer line on the Main Street is the area where the flooding is most intense. After the accumulated water was drained out of the area, it was determined that the sand and pebbles carried by the heavy downpours filled the sewer line and the line lost its function due to this reason. In order to clean the filling layer brought by the rainwater and filling the sewer, to prevent damage to other structures, and to ensure that visitors to the city can make their visits on the sightseeing route comfortably and safely; a 17 m section was excavated from the southern city wall gate on the Main Street towards the south.
The floor of the sewer line, which varies between 145 and 165 cm in height and 65 and 50 cm in width, narrowing from the ground to the upper levels, was formed with flat faced stones varying between 70 and 90 cm. The lower body of the sewer walls was constructed by erecting cut travertine blocks with widths ranging between 80 and 170 cm and lengths between 100 and 120 cm, while the upper body was built with small and medium-sized tea stones, marble and travertine pieces. It is understood that the upper wall body, which varies between 30 and 50 cm in height and was built with dry knitting system, was built to adjust the slope of the street floor and to support the sewer cover stones and was repaired several times in the Ancient Period. The sewer line was covered with 25 cm high rough-hewn travertine blocks varying between 60 and 190 cm in width and 120 and 300 cm in length, and these blocks also functioned as the pavement of the main Street.
Channels varying between 20 and 25 cm in width and 30 and 35 cm in height were found on the sewer side walls. It was determined that these channels were built for the purpose of discharging the waste water of the spaces on the side of the Main Street to the main sewer line. In order to provide clean water from the Roman Fountain on the eastern side of the Main Street to the spaces in the west, it was observed that two terracotta clay funnel lines were passed over the sewer line by forming a bridge with flat travertine stones from the level just below the sewer cover.
As a result of the studies carried out on the sewer line, it was determined that the city had a very systematic infrastructure arrangement and that this infrastructure arrangement was used uninterruptedly with various repairs from the Late Hellenistic Period to Late Antiquity.
1.4.2. Main Street North Section
The purpose of the northern section backfill soil excavations on the Main Street is to reveal the missing blocks belonging to the arch arrangement at the entrance of the Theater Bath Street, where the works were carried out in the previous excavation season, and to ensure that the restoration works carried out at the Monumental Fountain proceed correctly. The arched arrangement formed by the juxtaposition of travertine cut blocks that provide access to the Theater Bath Street is also designed as a continuation of the façade of the Monumental Fountain located to the south and provides an integrity with the Monumental Fountain. Therefore, it is important to find the missing blocks belonging to the arch.
During the ongoing excavations, a 6 m section of the east wall of the Main Street towards the north was made visible. Up to 2.60 m high, the wall has been preserved to a great extent and was built with flat-faced travertine blocks with heights ranging between 55 and 65 cm and lengths between 125 and 230 cm, and this wall is also the façade wall of the building to the east of the Main Street. A doorway with a width of 1.70 m was encountered to provide access to this building from the street. This doorway was closed with tea stones and travertine fragments using lime mortar in the later phases of use.
During the excavation of the 3 m high fill soil covering the Main Street, various architectural blocks belonging to the façade arrangement of the Monumental Fountain and travertine cut blocks belonging to the eastern wall of the street were exposed.
After the excavation of the backfill soil, the floor of the street was reached. The floor continues to rise towards the north due to the topographic structure of the street. The pavement formed with flat travertine stones is partially preserved. It was observed that the main sewer line extending in north-south direction continues under the floor. The flat faced rough travertine blocks with lengths ranging between 120-220 cm and widths between 60-130 cm also serve as the cover stones of the sewer line running north-south along the street.
1.5. Main Street East Portico Shop Row
There are rows of shops extending east-west in the area between the Arched Building and the Podium Building on the East Portico of the Main Street, which runs parallel to the street to the east of the Main Street. The 8x12 m building adjacent to the south of the Podium Building was included in the excavation program for 2021 in order to reveal information about the usage phases of the building, its architectural arrangements and its relationship with the other buildings around it.
It was found that the walls of the building were built with cut travertine blocks, tea stones and bricks with a double knitting system using lime mortar, and the upper cover was formed with a vault made of brick material superimposed on the north and south walls.
In the next phase of use, the building was divided into two different usage areas with a 90 cm thick wall extending from east to west. As a result of the excavations carried out in the building in the south; it was determined that the building was a hearth/oven where cereal products were manufactured.
During the excavations carried out in the northern section; a large number of stair step blocks and stylobate blocks made of flat faced, finely faceted, smooth cut marble and travertine were encountered. These architectural blocks are associated with a monumental arrangement providing access to the upper floor of the Brick Vaulted Building via the Podium Building. Immediately below these blocks, a 5 cm thick, 33x33 cm vault ruin formed by bricks laid with lime mortar was encountered. The ruin covers a large part of the building towards the east. During the last phase of use of the building (9th-10th century AD), the western end of this ruin was limited by a makeshift wall and it was understood that an area of 3x2 m in the western part of the building was used as a barn.
2. PROTECTION AND RESTORATION WORKS
The restoration and conservation works were carried out by the expert restorers listed in the excavation committee list in line with the conservation and repair verdict taken in the international framework. The work was carried out in two different areas: restoration and conservation of architectural artifacts in the excavation area and restoration and conservation of small groups of artifacts in the excavation laboratory.
2.1. Work in the Excavation Area
Works were carried out in the Monumental Fountain, Latrina, South Entrance Gate of the Sanctuary, Brick Vaulted Building, Early Byzantine Church 4, Brick Vaulted Building, Taberna 2 and Taberna 3 structures within the ancient city. The restoration works at the Monumental Fountain, Latrina, South Entrance Gate of the Sanctuary and the Brick Vaulted Building were rehearsals and continued within the scope of research and evaluation for the pre-restoration project.
In the work carried out at the Latrina, rehearsal works were completed by gluing the parts of the broken architectural elements (such as the latrina seating block, clean water channel block, postament, column base, column body, cap, architrave, frieze and gesion) and rehearsing these parts according to their original positions. In addition, the body walls of the Latrina and the walls of the waste water channel were cleaned and grouted.
In the restoration works carried out at the Monumental Fountain, the rehearsal works of the geison and architrave blocks of the first floor of the fountain and the northern arch blocks were carried out. In addition, the rehearsal works of the marble and travertine arch blocks, marble geison, architrave and frieze blocks belonging to the second floor of the Monumental Fountain continued. The broken and missing parts of the architectural blocks were identified and glued to their original places. In addition, photography and total station studies were carried out in order to make a detailed survey of the Monumental Fountain.
Within the 2020 excavation works, it was determined that there was a door opening providing access to the Sanctuary during the works carried out on the Agora North Portic sitting steps adjacent to the west of the Latrina, and the broken parts of the lintel and jambs belonging to this door were found and joined with the main body.
The rehearsal of the stair steps and stylobate blocks, which provide access from the Podium Building to the upper floor of the Brick Vaulted Building, were completed in their original place according to the location of the find. In addition, the brick vault debris piles forming the upper cover of the Brick Vaulted Building were taken to the sorting area in a controlled manner to be used again in the restoration of the building.
Periodic maintenance work was carried out on the Early Byzantine Church and Taberna 2. In Taberna 3, conservation work was carried out due to the need for urgent intervention in order to save and protect the frescoes found on the walls of the building as a result of the excavations.
2.2. Studies in the Excavation Laboratory
Conservation studies of terracotta, coins, glass, metal and bone artifacts were carried out in the laboratory. After photographing and reporting the current condition of all small finds before the conservation application, the conservation procedures deemed appropriate according to the type of material and the deterioration of the artifact were applied.