Sacred Landscapes in Western Anatolia 7th c BC - 2nd c AD
Research Interests
Open-air sanctuary, peak sanctuary, rock altar, landscape archaeology
My research aims to study open-air sanctuaries and cave sanctuaries in Western Asia Minor in a time span between 700 BC and 300 AD – specifically in the ancient regions of Aeolis, Ionia, Caria, Lycia and Pisidia. There will be a focus on the differences in rituals of the pre-Hellenistic period and those of the Hellenistic and Roman periods when long lasting policies of both assimilation and acculturation were carried out. Some open-air sanctuaries in the region of interest are well researched, while others are only superficially mentioned in survey or excavation reports. However, there has been a continuous increase in excavations carried out throughout Turkey both for research and as rescue excavations. The proportionally increasing number of publications is revealing the existence of many previously unknown open-air sanctuaries which are in need of attention. This research aims to survey all recorded open-air sanctuaries within the given geographical boundaries taking into account the topography and geology besides the archaeological and epigraphic evidence and present a catalogue alongside ten case studies.
