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Prof. Dr. Adnan Diler

Mugla University, Turkey

Eurolog Symposium in Tunis, April 2012

The Message and the Role of Cultural Heritage: Common Heritage or

Common Disaster Cultural heritage is the total of the physical and intangible values that we are responsible

for conveying to future generations. This includes historical, social, spiritual or religious,

symbolic, natural, economic and research values.

Cultural heritage is identified with the material values in the field of archaeology. In this

context, the roles of archaeology and cultural heritage are identical1. The light that

archaeology sheds on the past helps us understand the realities of life today and plays an

important role in the foundation of a better world.

The elements of cultural heritage are always enriched by the artistic and cultural

influences of the neighbors. That’s why even when societies had fights with each other

and sometimes destroyed each other, their arts remained friendly and became richer.

This is the reason why cultural heritage is considered as the shared heritage of all nations

of the world.

When we look at the archaeological material of different regions and different

civilizations, we can see that starting from Neolithic Period until today they display

common artistic characteristics.

Unfortunately in the past, archaeological material and the research conducted on

archaeological material were used in the service of political gains such as utopian ideas,

missionary purposes, colonialism and the division of people2. There are many examples of

the use of archaeology in the service of totalitarian dictatorship. Archaeology is also a

powerful weapon in the ideological struggle3.

1 Archaeology in many western and other countries has long been association with the heritage and its

management. Cultural Heritage is also very important value because it provides, meaning and dignity to

human lives. It also legitimizes territorial and intellectual ownership and its critical factor in the formilation

of social factor (cf. H. Silverman-D.F. Ruggles (eds.). in: Cultural Heritage and Human Rights (2007) p.VI f.

2 As known archaeology has been put to overt political use. In 1914 Sir L. Woolley, and T.E. Lawrence

provided “innocent” archaeological camouflage for a British military survey of the Turkish - controlled Sinai

peninsula. Archaeology can be a powerful weapon in ideological struggles that have real consequences for

people. Regarding to use of archaeolgy in the service totalitarian dictotarship. As Mcquire pointed out

following the Greek War of independence (1821- 1832) the new Greek state cleansed the Athenian Acropolis

of an Armenian cemetery, Muslim buildings and Medival Structures. See R.H.McGuire, Archaeology as Political

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Action (2008) p. 26.

3 The critique of archaeology as a political tool has often focused on how nationalist movements have used

and manipulated it to create nationalism. And nationalism is often rests on the idea of a golden age

ethnic and lingustic uniformity and promotes a culture that is supposedly stil connected to that past

Mcquire supra note p. 2, 22 f.

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In regions such as Egypt and Mesopotamia where high culture was born and developed,

and also house the majority of the world petroleum reserves, the extreme right political

views or imperialistic policies caused great damage to the cultural heritage4.

The tendency of some archaeologists within the framework of archaeology to steer away

from the real meaning of cultural heritage as the product of shared cultures, to strive to

find the most important and initial discovery, and to connect the cultural and historical

data always with an ethnic culture is not in harmony with the meaning of archaeological

heritage.

Examples of this can be found in the research and publications with the idea of

Pananatolianism that locates the roots of Western civilizations in Anatolian civilizations.

This idea was formed as a reaction to the Panhellenistic ideas that locate the roots of

European civilization within Renaissance and Greek culture.

Archaeological sites not only carry the footprints of the past into the present but also give

us messages about how to use nature in the ancient periods and today. They also contain

naturally preserved areas in their vicinities. That’s why protecting the archaeological

heritage also means preservation of nature (fig .1). Archaeological sites play a substantial

role in the general education of cultural and natural heritage. The profession of

archaeology plays an important role in carrying the message of how to use these areas in

our present society.

If cultural heritage is not interpreted correctly and continue to be seen as the furniture of

ever developing mass tourism or modern buildings, the danger of destruction and

eventual disappearance of these values are eminent (fig.2,3). The loss of archaeological

heritage means the loss of knowledge (fig.4).

The definition, function, dating, story of the sites and the archaeological material that is

becoming richer with different cultural influences of the cultural heritage are, of course,

very important. However the proper documentation, preservation and dissemination of

these messages have the utmost priority today.

The region we are focusing on as our case area is Caria; an area that has housed human

settlements since the Neolithic Period. The cultural identity of the region is composed of

the people of Anatolia and the neighboring peoples that immigrated here through Aegean

4 In the past the archaeological datas were used as propaganda material for nationalistic ideas or racial

superiority. In 2003 looting of Iraq Museum in Bağdat attracted widespread attention in the world. In

2001 the Taliban blew up the colossal Buddha statues in act of cultural iconoclasm, political assertion and

religious indignation. Despite the fact that in 1954 UNESCO passed the Hague Convention for the

protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict “ destruction of property belonging to any

people whatsover means damage of cultural heritage of mankind”, the Balkan and the Gulf Wars in Iraq ,

Syria as shown the Hague Convention has not been respected.

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Sea5. This can be defined by the elements that make a civilization such as, language,

belief, living and burial traditions (fig.5). The concrete data that reflects on other

materials of art and architecture can be seen in structures of sanctuaries, graves, pottery

and plastic arts. The Lelegian identity that forms the Karian civilization is a common

product of the cultures in Anatolia and the cultures located in the west of Aegean. The

survivals of the witnesses of this shared culture create opportunities for dialogue with

neighboring cultures in terms of common projects of arts and culture.

All of the regions in Anatolia have had human settlements starting from the Neolithic

period. In the areas where mountains, rivers and seas create natural borders, there were

different civilizations in different times. However, almost all of these settlements were

rural or agricultural.

Agriculture was a tradition that the ancient societies sustained together with the cult of

death and god. The fact that in many regions the agricultural production techniques

continued without change until today can be explained as the result of cultural continuity.

The economic lives of the high cultures of human history both in the eastern and western

cultures depended entirely upon agriculture6. This phenomenon is the reason why the

worshipping rituals are closely connected to agricultural production. An example of this is

reflected in the representation of King Warpalavas in front of God Tarhundas with wheat

and grapes that symbolize fertility and production (fig.6)7.

The cities of Termera and Pedasa on the Bodrum peninsula in Caria (fig.7) will be used as

samples for the message of archaeological heritage and the importance of this in human

and natural preservation here:

The areas and the message it carries

The cultural heritage value of the area, the opportunities for intercultural dialogue

will be discussed.

Today, human beings created artificial borders for settlements. Natural borders are the

mountains, seas, deep valleys and rivers. Unfortunately the ancient cities and

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This Cretan/Lelegian link supports the information found in literary sources, stating that “The Lelegians who

were the ancestors of the Carians first lived on the Aegean islands, were under the rule of Minos and later

with the help of the Cretans they migrated to the Anatolian mainland”. See Herodotus I, 171; Strabo 12.8.5

(573)

6 As has been emphasized, agriculture was one of the greatest importance for the Greek poleis as roughly 80%

of the inhabitance in a nornal Greek polis were peasant farmers and majority lived in the country. See H.

Lohmann, “Agriculture and Country Life in Classical Attica” in: B. Wells (ed.) Agriculture in Ancient Greece

(Stockholm 1992)30.

7 E:Akurgal, Anadolu Kültür Tarihi, Ankara 1997, Fig.132.

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archaeological heritage are understood holistically by people other than archaeologists

and only the areas inside the city walls can be observed. However, the areas surrounded

by the fortification walls make only %5 of the whole population. Outside these borders,

there is a large area where the real city life is seen with agricultural, necropolis and other

structures8.

Settlements are just like organisms; they are born, they grow, expand and slowly shrink

and die. This is both the adaptation and the transformation process of the settlement.

This process usually takes thousands of years however we perceive this as a single picture

frame in its latest form. It is not possible to view this picture as if rewinding a film. That is

why we encounter problems in interpreting the characteristics that make and develop a

city as a whole. Regardless of their scales, settlements always have a center with

administrative and religious structures and growth always happens from this center to

outside.

In both coastal and inland settlements in the Ancient Caria, the economy depended on

agriculture. This is why the agricultural structures and terraces as well as the graves are

the dominant remains of the territoriums. Territoriums should be analyzed in a holistic

manner in order to understand the settlement model, identification, and message of the

city.

Ancient city territoriums were composed of agricultural terraces, presses and farm houses

scattered over a large area. Even though they seem disjointed, in fact they were all related

to each other. The situation and the location of these remains yield important information

on how these agricultural areas were used by the ancient people. The agricultural terraces

on the sloped hills were built to prevent landslide and provide more water to the plant

roots.

Aside from these functions, agricultural terraces are the most important remains that

form the rural landscape and identity. The agricultural terraces, agricultural structures

and presses reflect the rural identity of the population. In antiquity the remains of

agricultural production and necropolis within the city territoriums are not considered as

destruction of nature but the contribution of human beings to nature.

We learn the first and most important information about the location of Termera from

Strabo9. He says that the city was founded around the Scandaria Cape across from the

Cos Island. According to this, some of the researchers think that it is Aspat Hill on the

8 A.Diler, Olive oil and Wine Production of the Halikarnassos Peninsula in Karia, in: Ü.Aydınoğlu-A.K.Şenol (Eds.)

Olive Oil and Wine Production in Anatolia During Antiquity, International Symposium Proceedings 06-08

Nowember 2008, Mersin, Turkey 2010, 138 f.

9 Strabo, Geographika XIV,II, 18

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shore across from Cos Island, and others interpret the remains of Asarlık Hill that is 3km

to the north as Termera10. Now let’s take a look at this area: Our case settlement Termera is located on the high hill 3 km inland. The city is surrounded

by fortification walls (fig.8,). The best preserved section of the city walls is on the east

side where the entrance gate is located (fig.9).

On top of the acropolis hill, apart from the rock cut cistern, there are various building

terraces on the upper slopes that run down towards the south Buildings such as

residential structures are situated on the upper slopes going down towards the south and

southwest.

The technique of the fortification walls and the Mycenean traditional form of the

monumental gate show that Asarlık can be dated back to the Archaic Period. On the

settlement territorium (fig.10), on the 2 km long sloped lands starting from the east side

of the walls towards the north, there are farm houses (fig.11) of various scales, mandras,

presses (fig.12) and different types of monumental graves (fig.14,15).

The remains, scattered in a 2 km radius, for the Termera territorium are agricultural

terraces (Fig.10,13). There are also farm houses of different sizes, threshing areas water

wells, wine and oil presses. The necropolis structures are the platform graves and tumuli

widespread in the whole area from the early Iron Age. So we can say that the area was

used as a necropolis and agricultural area according to the topography.

The stone tumuli (tombs) are located overlooking the whole land in the territorium

(fig.14). The platform burials as the oldest grave remains of the settlement give us the

best information about the expansion direction of the territorium. They start 500 m

southeast of the Acropolis hill and are seen on the 2 km long area on the flats and slopes

of the valley, going down South to Aspat Hill. These graves that were used throughout the

early Iron Age are composed of cremation chests, built inside rectangular stone platforms

(fig.15).

We definitely knew the name of the settlement located on the Aspat hill in the Byzantine

period: Strobilos (fig16,17). Strobilos is mentioned quite frequently in Byzantine sources

from the 8th to the 13th centuries and became one of the most important trade and

military bases of the Anatolian shore11.

10 Acccording to Paton-Myres and Bean, Termera is fixed certainly at Asarlık Cf.W.R.Paton-J.L.Myres,

“Researches in Caria”, JHS 9, 1897,1897,46.G.E.Bean- J.M.Cook “The Carian Cost III” BSA 52, 1957,88

11 C. Foss, “Strobilos and Related Sites”, AS, 38(1988), p.148-173.; “March 8 Theophylactus, Bishop of

Nicomedia” S. V. Bulgakov, Handbook for Church Servers, 2nd ed., 1274 pp. (Kharkov, 1900), p. 105.; L.Ryden,

“The Andreas Salos Apocalypse”, DOP, 28(1974), p.197-261.; R. Lyden, “The Date of Life of Andreas Salos” in:

“The Life of Andreas Salos and the Hebrew Vision of Daniel”, DOP, 32(1978), p. 127-155.; S.Viryonis,The

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The remains that survived until today generally belong to the Byzantine period

settlements. The city is protected by an external and internal fortification wall system.

These city walls have more than one phase, and the main part that is standing now is from

the middle Byzantine and Turkish periods.

The large area around Aspat Hill is ornamented also with agricultural terraces, ancient

farm houses, and presses also reflect the landscape and identity of the settlement in the

Ancient Period like Termera (fig.18).

When we observe the different agricultural and necropolis remains situated on Termera

territorium, we can see that their direction of expansion is towards the south in the

direction of Aspat. The reason for this is that the topography is suitable for both platform

burials and farm houses. And also the blocks used in both the terrace walls and the

building of the platform burials are seen extensively in this area.

Organically connected remains of graves and agricultural structures of Termera extend

600m in the direction of Aspat Hill to the north. The early Iron Age Lelegian compounds,

tower and platform burial show that the land use border or the territorium border of

Termera reached close to Aspat That is why we can claim that the compounds built in the

Lelegian tradition on Tuzla Cape next to the shore (fig.19) and on Zeytinli Hill near

Strabilos (Aspat) were built by the people living in Termera, and Aspat was the harbor of

Asarlık’s Termera city.

The settlement territorium of Aspat that extended towards the north starting from the

Roman and Byzantine Period spread towards Zeytinli Hill. Agricultural activities, oil and

wine production in this territorium continued until the 18th century AD.

As a result, in the light of Termera and Aspat settlement model (fig.20), we may say that

the main type of structures like stone tumuli and platform burials show the influences

of structures from neighboring cultures and have a common Aegean character. Our

Decline of Medieval Hellenism in Asia Minor and the Process of Islamization From the Eleventh through the

Fifteenth Century, London, 1971.; The Life of Lazaros of Mt. Galesion-An Eleventh Century Pillar of Saint,

Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Washington, D.C. p.81.; K. M. Setton, “Raids of the Muslims

on the Raids of the Muslims in the Eagen in the Night and Tenth Centuries and their Alleged Occupation of

Athens”, AJA, 58(1954), p.318.; G.C.Miles, “Byzantium and the Arabs: Relations Crete and Eagen Area”

DOP18(1964), p.1-32.; R.J.H. Jenkins, “The Chronological Accuracy of the “Logothete” for the Years AD.867-

913”, DOP 19(1965), p.89-112.; “Chrustodoulos: Rule, Testament and Codicil of Christodoulos for the

Monastery of St. John the Theologian on Patmos”, Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents,

(trans.PatriciaKarlin-Hayter), Washington D.C. 2000, p. 564,565, 581,582.; Evliya Çelebi Seyahatnamesi

(Anadolu, Suriye, Hicaz), Volume 9. , İstanbul 1935.

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excavations and researches show that the Carians created a civilization with a new

synthesis of the Aegean on one side, Anatolia on the east and Mediterranean on the

other side. And the Carian civilization is formed with the contribution of neighboring

common culture12. The survival of the witnesses of this shared culture create

opportunities today for dialogue with neighboring cultures13 and also create a high

quality cultural heritage tourism projects beyond the ideological, strategic and territorial

for dialog of neighbors as well.

As a result we must say that the role of archaeology is to define the meaning and the

borders of the remains situated in and around the city, and to convey their message to the

society.

Prof.Dr.Adnan DİLER Muğla

University Department of

Archaeology TR-Muğla

adnandiler@gmail.com

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History has witnessed the movements of large numbers of pepole over vast territories. The coastal cities

of Karia as Halikarnassos was presumably Dorian in origine and was founded by settlers from ancient

Troizen. They had political, cultural, and ethnic ties to Lelegian and island peoples of Crete and Minoan

(D.Magie, Roman Rule in Asia Minor, To the end of the Third Century After Chris, tPrinceton New Jersey, 1950,

54 n.4). According to the Herodotos ( I.171 ), Carians were living in the Islands under the name of Lelegians.

Later with the help of Cretans they became part of the mainland see, Strobon XII 8.5. Lelegians who were

the oldest people settled in Anatolian Aegean. According to our reserches Lelegian Civilization is a civilization

in Anatolia created by the native people and the people coming from the Islands. This civilization was creted

with in the unique nature and topography of the Peninsula . It is unique in its settlement style, architecture as

well as life and burial tradidition.

13 Termera offers some oppurtunity to make high qualty heritage tourism, based on ancient lanscape and

agricultural identity of the areas that supports sustainable preservation of the archaeological sites. A

project, which is being conducted with the support of TUBITAK in Aspat is an agro-tourism project aiming to

protect and sustain the historical, natural and cultural assets and potential of Aspat (Strobilos) and its

surrounding area on the Bodrum Peninsula. Aspat, with its archaeological, natural and ecological assets, is an

important coastal settlement. The Caria region is one of the oldest regions of the world in terms of olive, fig

and vine cultivation. The cultural methods used in growing and processing of these plants are amongst the

oldest known to man. These methods, which will be brought to light by the archaeological findings, could

subsequently be implemented as alternatives to current conventional methods and be useful in

environmentally friendly sustainable agriculture such as organic farming. Within the context of the project,

expert scientists will conduct research into the changes in cultural heritage, the flora and fauna, the coastal

area, the inland area, and the stream (azmak) in order to implement preventive measures designed to save

these assets, especially the native species. For Aspat TUBİTAK project see www.aspatarkeotar.com.

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List of the Figures

Fig.1: The performance of the nature in the orchestra of Sedir Island theatre.

Fig.2: Rock cut tomb under the thread of modern construction.

Fig.3: Uncontrolled visitor impact on the archaeological heritage. Fig.4:

Illegal excavation vandalism in the Hecatomnos tomb in Mylasa. Fig.5:

Carian inscription and rock cut tombs from Kaunos.

Fig.6: Neo Hittite relief from Ivriz showing the God Tarhundas handing grapes and wheat. Fig.7: Map of Caria and Halikarnassos Peninsula.

Fig.8: Aerial view from Termera.

Fig.9: City wall and main gate of Termera. Fig.10: Map showing the remains of Termera and Aspat (Strobilos).

Fig.11: Aerial view showing the farm hause and platform burials in Termera.

Fig.12: Press weight, press bed and crushing basin from Termera.

Fig.13: Agricultural terraces in the acropolis and territorium of Termera. Fig.14: Stone tumulus tomb from Termera.

Fig.15: Farm hause and platform burial in Termera.

Fig.16: Map showing the remains of Aspat.

Fig.17: Aspat Hill. Fig.18: Oil press installation and farm hause in Aspat.

Fig.19: Compound farm hause and agricultural terraces close to Aspat Hill.

Fig.20: Aerial view showing the land use of Termera and Aspat.

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Fig.1:The performance of the nature in the orchestra of Sedir Island theatre.

Fig.2: Rock cut tomb under the thread of modern construction.

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Fig. 3: Uncontrolled visitor impact on the archaeological Heritage.

Fig.4: Illegal excavation Vandalism in the Hecatomnos tomb in Mylasa.

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Fig.5: Carian inscription and rock cut tombs from Kaunos.

Fig.6: Neo Hittite relief from Ivriz, showing the God Tarhundas handing grapes and wheat.

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Fig.7: Map of Caria and Halikarnassos Peninsula

Fig.8 : Aerial view from Termera.

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Fig.9: City wall and main gate of Termera.

Fig.10: Map showing the remains of Termera and Aspat( Strobilos).

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Fig.11: Aerial view showing the farm hause and platform burials in Termera

Fig.12: Press weight, press bed and crushing basin from Termera

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Fig.13: Agricultural terraces in the acropolis and territorium of Termera

Fig.14: Stone tumulus tomb from Termera

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Fig.15: Farm hause and platform burial in Termera.

Fig.16: Map showing the remains of Aspat.

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Fig.17. Aspat Hill.

Fig.18: Oil press installation and farm hause in Aspat .

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Fig.19: Compound farm hause and agricultural terraces close to Aspat Hill.

Fig.20: Aerial view showing the land use of Termera and Aspat.