Archaeological Research in Andriake

The surveys in Andriake offer the chance, unique on the shores of Asia Minor, to understand the well preserved remains of an ancient harbour which was not built upon in modern times and has, because of its sulphuric water, been spared the influx of tourists. The possibility is thus given to study under many different aspects the history and the architectural structure of a harbour town through surface surveys with comparatively little time and effort. The investigations in Andriake aim at making it possible to follow through the means of archaeology the history and architectural development of the port. Special emphasis shall be put on dividing the development of the site into periods and on the preparation of plans showing different phases. The study of ceramic remains collected from the surface is expected to yield information about the region`s trade connections and their changes in the course of time. In addition, it is intended to examine in detail and publish important buildings such as the Horrea Hadriani, the ruins of the square to the east of the storage building, the baths in the southeast, the late antique fortifications and the churches. The fortifications of the northern city quarters which were built in several phases will be thoroughly investigated as well. Although Andriake occurs several times in ancient sources, the history of the harbour town is only poorly known. The envisaged investigations have the objetive to gather more detailed information about the history of the town. In particular, the question of a possible prehellenistic use and of the moment when the harbour was given up is crucial. The current state of research suggests that the port was founded only in the Hellenistic period. Detailed surveys are planned in these areas in order to gain insight into the structure and size of the Hellenistic harbour settlement. It is possible that Andriake`s Hellenistic harbour served rather local and regional needs, while the harbour of Patara was extended in the same time. In the Roman imperial period, a massive expansion of Adriake`s infrastructure occurred. It is part of this project to enquire into the date and the reason for abandoning the settlement. A deeper knowledge of the extent and character of the architectural concept of the Hadrianic period will probably also lead to conclusions regarding the still unanswered question of the function of the Horrea Hadriani and with it the intention of imperial investments in Andriake. Conclusions about the extent, structure, and development of the settlement in the late antique-early Byzantine period will allow to pursue the question, relevant to the history of settlement in general, in how far there was a last flourishing or already a decline of settlement in Lycia during the early Byzantine period. Significant progress through the study of the pottery finds is also to be expected concerning the question of the port`s economic connection to super-regional trade routes during differnt periods of its history.

Although Andriake, as one of the most important harbours of Lycia, has been repeatedly mentioned in ancient sources, the history of the harbour site is only rudimentarily known. The work at Andriake undertaken in the framework of the project should make it possible to trace its history and architectural development using archaeological methods. The research at Andriake offers a unique opportunity along the coastal region of Asia Minor to record the extremely well-preserved ruins of an ancient harbour city which has not been built over in the modern period, and which, due to sulphurous water, has been spared from touristic development. The ruins which are preserved on the surface at Andriake probably constitute the best-preserved ancient harbour of the eastern Mediterranean. For this reason, it was possible by means of surface inspection with comparably minor effort and expense to study the history and the architectural development of a port city, taking into consideration a variety of aspects. The Andriake-Survey therefore set up the following goals:The creation of an overall plan of the extensive ruins, of which until now only sketch plans have been published The documentation of important individual buildings The examination of surface pottery When excavation was handed over to the University of Antalya under the direction of N. evik, after 2009 it was no longer possible to continue the Austrian Andriake Survey.As a result, the processing of the finds, and the preparation for publication of the results so far, was begun in Vienna. Due to the extensive excavations beginning in the southern city, the scientific work of the project was concentrated primarily in the northern sector of Andriake, as well as on the surface ceramic finds which were not influenced by the excavation results. In the 2005-2006 and 2008 seasons, in the course of three field research campaigns parallel to the inventory survey work in the area, a ceramic survey was also carried out. The goal was to confirm and to supplement, using the surface pottery finds, the architectonic conclusions regarding the settlement history and settlement continuity obtained by means of the inventory survey. It was also intended to introduce the ceramic spectrum of an additional Lycian city by means of the presentation of the ceramic finds from Andriake, thereby fulfilling a desideratum in ceramic studies.The ceramic spectrum of the entire inventory of finds mirrors the characteristic find-picture from eastern and central Lycia in the Roman and Late Antique epochs. The large amount of amphora finds in both areas of the city and in every area examined is noteworthy. Investigations into the proportional relationship of amphorae to other categories of pottery finds enable us to define the character of the find-spot as an area of trade. In the course of the excavations carried out in the last few years, workshops in the already suggested area at the Agora of the southern city have been brought to light which very well could have served for the production of purple. In the surface areas investigated here in the course of the Andriake survey, the proportion of amphorae was between 94 and 97%.