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11 Preface
467 ‘The Most Marvellous of All Seas’: The Great King and the
Cimmerian Bosporus
(Gocha R. Tsetskhladze)
491 Réflexions sur quelques traits particuliers du corps civique dans
les Cités Nord‑Pontiques
(Victor Cojocaru, Marta Oller Guzmán)
511 Le statut juridique des cités grecques de la côte occidentale
de la mer Noire à l’époque d’Auguste
(Alexandru Avram)
525 The Southwestern Pontos in Orbis Romanus. General Trends
of the Political Integration of the Regional Communities
(Hristo Preshlenov)
541 The Place of Cingirt Kayasi in the Pontic Region during the Reign
of Mithridates VI
(Ayşe F. Erol, Deniz Tamer)
559 Abstract
563 Index
CLOSER TO HEAVEN:
THE TRADITION OF ABOVE
GROUND BURIALS
IN WESTERN ANATOLIA
Abstract
The Anatolian Iron age landscape presents a spectacular variety of burial practices,
funerary architecture and ancestry monuments as well as a rich iconography of
the dead. Many top‑hill burial places of various dates are known from the regions
of Phrygia, Ionia, Lykia or Karia. The western coast of Anatolia was a border re‑
gion between Western and Eastern cultural influences, as is revealed in syncretic,
even hybrid forms of art. Material culture reflected both foreign and local influ‑
ences. Communities in south‑western Anatolia bustled to build sepulchral rath‑
er than sacral monuments. Above ground tombs and burials may be explained
by the maintenance of native tradition as well as the inspiration of foreign cus‑
toms, both on a broad geographical and chronological scale. The tradition of above
ground burials in the Classical and post‑ Classical periods may be seen in the re‑
semblance of older peak sanctuaries, preceding rock‑ cut monuments, the Persian
way of placing the dead or local architectural tradition in Karia or Lykia.
Keywords
179
ΕΥΔΑΙΜΩΝ
first. They were still in use in the Roman period, frequently situated in
an inhabited area (Borchhardt 1975; Keen 1998, 34).
Rock‑ cut tombs of the Classical and Hellenistic periods may pres‑
ent surviving examples of earlier architectural types, which should be
discussed in the wide historical and regional context of their making, even
at the time of the Hittite Empire and its aftermath. Scholars emphasize
the eastern origin of Frygian rock cut monuments, especially tombs and
open‑air sanctuaries. The location and furnishing of tombs, in particular
a stepped altar for libation, presumed certain deification of Neo‑Hittite
rulers, expected according to finds from Arslantaş or Atabindi (Işık 2007,
15–31). Archaic rock‑ cut tombs with an opening on the top are usually con‑
sidered places for mystery rites, while some of the stone–built chamber
tombs are supposed to have been used as sanctuaries (Aşağıtırtar, Karaköy,
Bayındır; Vassileva 2012, 243–52). In southern Anatolia, a certain degree
of phrygianisation can be seen in central Pisidia near Aşağıtırtar (Isparta
Province) from the late 8th century B.C., in western Pisidia near Karaköy
and on the border between Pisidia and Lykia near the Elmalı Plain, where
a large group of tumulus burials, including two 7th century B.C. tumuli in
rather Phrygian style were found. In Karia nothing has been found that
has a bearing on the subject at hand (Van Dongen 2014, 697–712). Archaic
and Classical tombs found in Karia bear a series of components that might
be interpreted as traces of petrified woodwork. Chamber tombs, built ei‑
ther freestanding, subterranean or under tumulus, were provided with
petrified marble doors that closed funerary chambers, a common feature
of chamber tombs built as early as the first half of the 4th century B.C.
Numerous chamber tombs were built all over Karia in the second half of
the 4th century B.C. Karians probably never stopped building such structures
from the end of the 6th until the mid-4th century B.C., but their perishable
building material did not permit them to survive (Henry 2010b, 296–315).
A type of burial ground also appearing in the Hellenistic period was attest‑
ed to much earlier in Karia. The heaped soil without peripheral masonry
covered a chamber tomb built with a flat or corbel vault. The interior of
the tomb was arranged into a dromos, stomion (pronaos) and burial chamber.
Such types of sepulchral structures were in contrary to the popular type of
above‑ground tombs of various dates. The geographic conditions of western
Anatolia combined with the presence of various ethnicities mediating new
stimuli resulted in the formation of a unique funerary landscape. It seems
that the Karians were, as early as the late 6th century B.C., already strongly
influenced by the Ionian culture, which they apparently appropriated for
the construction of their most sumptuous and monumental structures.
These tendencies were essentially expressed through the construction of
sacred buildings, especially but not limited to temples.
Archaeological finds indicate that the Karians did not limit them‑
selves to the reproduction of typical Greek buildings but also erected a new
180
Closer to Heaven
Fig. 1. Elevated chamber tomb – tradition of maussolleion type in the Roman period.
Gümüşkesen, Milas (photo: Ivan Kuzma).
181
ΕΥΔΑΙΜΩΝ
Fig. 2. Lykian tombs at Acropolis of Xanthos – the Harpy tomb and the pillared sarcophagus
(photo: Lucia Nováková).
Classical period, when the architects took over the form of the Greek
temple with a new element, the podium or high‑raised pedestal. These
are interpreted as being of eastern origin, referring e.g. to the tomb of
Kyros the Great in Pasargadai. Above ground burials could be understood
as inspiration from foreign funerary practices, however similar customs
were not unknown in this area. The elevated surface of a tomb is some‑
times seen as a resemblance of older hilltop sacred places characteristic of
Karia of the pre‑ Classical period (Debord 2003, 115–180). It corresponds to
above ground burials, which cannot be explained only by the inspiration
of Persian burial rites but also by local tradition (Işık 2005, 107–24).
While in Karia a stronger inclination to the subterranean burials is
recognizable, with emphasis on the upper part of the building in the Clas‑
sical period, elevated monuments such as pillar tombs can be recognized in
neighbouring Lykia (Fedak 1990, 37–42). The oldest examples of pillar tombs
appeared at the time when Lykia was conquered by the Persians, while the
early group of these monuments (550–500 B.C.) was attested in the west‑
ern and central region. They are understood as multipurpose monuments
of funerary, votive and triumphal character, while some can seek closer
connection with Greek votive columns (Draycott 2007, 103–34). Especially
notable is the proximity of Karian and Lykian material culture, becoming
182
Closer to Heaven
Persian‑Anatolian tradition
Funerary rites, including a choice of tomb and burial type, tend to play an
important role in any society’s self‑definition. The Persian way of placing
the dead (Hdt. 1.140) may enhance already known tendencies for above
ground burials in western Anatolia. In many ways the burials that most in‑
triguingly mix Anatolian with Iranian elements (Persian‑style contents, or
Persian‑style ornamentation) are those whose wealth and size flag them as
elite. Some iconographic elements of tombs reflect Persian ideas, ideas that
can be found in other kinds of funerary monuments elsewhere in western
Anatolia. Some of the iconography would seem to be Anatolian. Evidence
attesting to the Persian presence in western Anatolia has already revealed
the extent of its spread. Even though the number of published Persian
and Persianizing artefacts is not great, they are quite wide‑spread beyond
the satrapal capitals (Miller 2011, 310–19). Since the Late Classical period
at least, certain, constantly appearing features in the material culture of
Lykian, Karian and mixed, Karian and Greek communities, can be observed.
Lykians, and Karians, might be understood as carriers of local Ana‑
tolian tradition, traceable to the early Iron Age or even further. Karian
belongs to the Indo‑European family of Anatolian languages, which also
comprises Hittite, Luwian, Lykian, Lydian and Pisidian, and it forms part
of the so‑ called Luwic group (Adiego 2007, 345–7). Linguistics can support
the Karian claim of autochthony and close connection to Lykians, which
is also attested by archaeological finds in the context of tombs and burials.
During the Persian dominance part of the Lykian population most likely
settled down in Karia. The numerous epigraphic finds of the Classical and
post‑Classical periods with Karian personal names coming from various
localities were found mostly in neighbouring Lykia and to a lesser extent
in Ionia and Pisidia (Şahin 1981, no. 501–741; Şahin 1990, no. 801–996). The
foreign cultural influences had an impact on the development of religious,
funerary and urban architecture in this region almost in the same man‑
ner as persistence of local tradition. An indispensable contribution was
the building program of local dynasties, resulting in a new type of sacred
monument, dedicated to the needs of rulers. Such tendencies were visible
in the Classical Karia and Lykia period, both closely related in material
culture as well as in historical events.
183
ΕΥΔΑΙΜΩΝ
184
Closer to Heaven
Lykian heroa
185
ΕΥΔΑΙΜΩΝ
shows the Greek influence, while the composition was probably of oriental
origin (Hilds 1973, 105–6; Bommeelaer 1986, 249–7). The tomb was built on
a high‑raised podium (6.8x13.5 m) with its bottom part consisting of lime‑
stone blocks. The upper part made of marble was decorated by relief friezes
showing military scenes and a siege of the city. The podium was completed
by astragal, ovolo and simple moulding. An upper structure had the shape
of a small peripteral Ionic temple with four columns on the east and west
façade and six columns on the north and south façade, accessible from the
northern side of the monument. The building was richly decorated with
free standing statues representing Nereids erected in interkolumnium. Four
klinai were placed in the naos, accessible from the pronaos and opisthodomos,
from the outside it was decorated by relief frieze portraying a funerary
banquet, while the architrave was adorned by a frieze portraying hunt‑
ing scenes. The western pediment displayed a schematic military scene,
while the eastern pediment was showing a ruling dynastic couple with
their servants.
Fig. 3. Heroon of Perikles, Limyra – detail from the east frieze. Archaeological
museum in Antalya (photo: Erik Hrnčiarik).
186
Closer to Heaven
Fig. 4. Necropolis of Xanthos. Lykian pillar and rock‑cut tombs (photo: Lucia Nováková).
187
ΕΥΔΑΙΜΩΝ
Hekatomnid maussolleia
188
Closer to Heaven
try. The manifestation of this unity was the erection of monumental me‑
morials to honour their dead, understood as a result of modified ancestral
veneration and hero worship ideology. The cultural development can also
be seen in the architectural movement, which gave rise to many trans‑
formations in the Karian architectural landscape (Henry 2010a, 71–128).
Beside Maussollos and his sister‑wife Artemisia, who were buried in the
Maussolleion at Halikarnassos, there are many archaeological and histor‑
ical clues indicating that each of the Hekatomnid dynasts was provided
with a monumental tomb, even if precise identification of tomb owners
remains in many cases hypothetical. Archaeological remains present
sufficient common points to identify these sepulchral buildings, among
which can be recognizable a complex internal organization located under
a superstructure adopting the shape of a cultic building and a specific and
unusually dominant position.
Borrowing principal characteristics both from Persian royal funerary
architecture and from Greek monumental architecture, the Hekatomnids
adopted their own symbols of power. If the form and iconography point
towards an Iranian funerary symbolic system, the architectural features
and the ideology surrounding the owners of these tombs are the signs of
a largely Hellenised culture (Henry 2010c, 120). These sepulchral buildings
are considered as the first of its kind and a result of interaction between
foreign and local cultures. A large structure, entirely built of marble, with
a monumental podium was found at Beçin near Mylasa. The building had
been considered to be a temple (Baran 2004, 19–38), however, a series of
recent observations, studies on Karian tombs and discoveries in Milas
enabled the identification of the podium as a late Archaic monumental
tomb. Architectural fragments date the tomb to the last quarter of the 6th
century B.C. Two chambers were located inside the podium with a particu‑
lar roofing system, made of a series of three transversal beams supporting
the roof slabs. Both rooms have identical characteristics considering size,
structure, material and building technique. The eastern room also had
a dromos like its western counterpart. Such an arrangement would then
link both rooms as one unique structure, such as an antechamber and
chamber (Henry 2013a, 81–90).
The structural features of the chambers are very similar to many sub‑
terranean tombs found in the vicinity of Mylasa. The use of transversal
beams bearing horizontal roof slabs was identical with more than twenty
other tombs discovered in Karia, most of which are subterranean and all
date from the late Classical to the early Hellenistic period. This technique,
which appears to be typical of Karian funerary architecture, was clearly
existent in late Archaic Karia, as shown by a series of tumuli located in
the Harpasos valley, dating from the early 5th century B.C. (Henry 2013b,
257–68). Monumental Hekatomnid tombs can be considered as revivals of
the powerful late Archaic dynasty from Mylasa, which acted as the Kar‑
189
ΕΥΔΑΙΜΩΝ
ian leader when it stood as a nation against the Persian threat. A lavish
monumental tomb, known as Uzunyuva, was discovered at Mylasa. This
sepulchral building can be seen as the basis of a proto‑Maussolleion (Rum‑
scheid 2010, 69–102), although the tomb might not have been connected
with Maussollos. It seems more likely that the Uzunyuva tomb belonged
to Maussollos’ father Hekatomnos who died in ca. 377 B.C.
Another candidate for Hekatomnid ownership is the rock‑ cut temple
‑like tomb of Berber İni (Berber Yatağı) in the vicinity of Mylasa, dated
before the mid-4th century B.C. Some believe that the grave at Berber İni
(Berber Yatağı) belonged to Hekatomnos, presuming that the first of the
Karian dynast‑satraps was buried in a new type of monumental tomb
built in the Greek style. Even if an assumption, the tomb represents an
important step in the development of a Hekatomnid dynastic funerary
architecture (Henry 2010c, 103–121). According to stylistic analysis of
architectural details the dating of the tomb should be considered to lie
between 400 and 370–360 B.C., the early years of the Hekatomnid period.
New findings from the so–called Built tomb (the Monumental tomb, the
Π- shaped tomb), constructed above the temple terrace in Labraunda,
complete the picture of architecture dated back to the Hekatomnid pe‑
riod. The main body of the tomb was made up of two storeys. The lower
storey contained two funerary rooms, an antechamber and a chamber,
while the upper storey was limited to a large unique room with a low
ceiling. An open court enclosed on all four sides was part of the com‑
plex. The tomb was crowned by a massive superstructure; fragments
of architecture can still be seen in the slope between the tomb and the
temple terrace.
Architectural analysis and material collected during the cleaning of
the tomb indicate that it can be dated back to the fourth century B.C. The
tomb shared in common many features with the Maussolleion at Halikar‑
nassos (Henry 2010a, 93–5). The identity of the owner of this monumental
tomb has long been a subject of debate. Considering the early date of its
conception and the obvious high social position of the deceased, it is
thought that the first owner of the tomb could have been Idrieos himself.
Understanding of the tomb as an abode of the deceased in Anatolia spans
many centuries. The new studies on Karian funerary architecture from the
sixth century B.C. to the mid-4th century B.C. reveal striking similarities
with later building types, and raise the possibility that they might have
been part of a long‑term tradition of native funerary culture (Henry 2013a,
81–90). The dynamic construction activity in the fourth century B.C. Karia
could be explained by the political and economic background, which cre‑
ated a favourable context for the construction of monumental structures
(Henry 2010a, 296–315). Erecting of dynastic monuments frequently took
a place in an inhabited area, while similar kinds of intramural burials
within Greek settlements were generally reserved for heroes and mythical
190
Closer to Heaven
191
ΕΥΔΑΙΜΩΝ
Fig. 6. Temple‑like tomb – popular type of Roman funerary monuments in the whole Anatolia.
Demircili (photo: Lucia Nováková).
192
Closer to Heaven
Fig. 7. The Built tomb – burial chamber. Labraunda 2006 (photo: Ivan Kuzma).
temple‑like tombs located within the occupied area. The spectrum of the
Lykian tombs was to a large extent limited to pillar tombs, rock‑cut tombs
and sarcophagi which have been accepted as typical for this region. However,
193
ΕΥΔΑΙΜΩΝ
194
Closer to Heaven
Rock‑cut monuments
195
ΕΥΔΑΙΜΩΝ
Fig. 8. Temple‑like tomb from north necropolis of Hierapolis (photo: Lucia Nováková).
196
Closer to Heaven
197
ΕΥΔΑΙΜΩΝ
Acknowledgments
The present paper has been completed within two projects supported by
the Slovak Grant Agency VEGA: 1/0045/14 and 1/0346/15.
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Lucia Nováková
Trnava University in Trnava, Faculty of philosophy and arts
Department of Classical archaeology
lucia.novakova@truni.sk
Andrea Ďurianová
Trnava University in Trnava, Faculty of philosophy and arts
Department of Classical archaeology
andrea.durianova@truni.sk
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