Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant: Rethinking Resources: Integrating Natural Resource Sites into the Landscapes of Roman Anatolia

Brown University, Providence RI

Investigators

Abstract

In collaboration with the Central Lydia Archaeological Survey (CLAS), and under the supervision of Dr. John F. Cherry, Bradley M. Sekedat will examine the marble and limestone quarries of central Lydia, Turkey, in order to understand the social dynamics of resource extraction during the Roman period (1st-5th centuries CE). Central Lydia in western Turkey, a politically significant region from the 7th century BCE to 5th century CE, was notable in antiquity for its wealth and control of precious resources, such as high quality marble and gold. Mr. Sekedat's project is designed to collect and analyze data from small-scale quarries that will determine the nature of community interaction with these resource sites. Although a great deal of scholarship exists on Roman period quarrying, these studies are typically limited to the understanding of state control of large-scale, imperially owned, quarries whose products moved throughout the Mediterranean. Missing is a discussion of the more modest and poorly documented, but nearly ubiquitous, small-scale quarries that dot the Anatolian landscape. A study of these production sites is important because it addresses an overlooked aspect of Roman political and economic structures; namely, a study of marble and limestone quarries which addresses the daily interaction between rural communities and resource sites, viewing quarries as places of social interaction. In this sense, understanding community level engagement with a quarry can provide a deeper understanding of the complexity of Roman social and economic practices. This project focuses on known marble and limestone quarries in central Lydia as case studies for these concerns. Determining whether stone extraction happened in conjunction with other daily activities (such as craft production, ritual practice, and even household activity), and determining the ultimate distribution of stone from small-scale quarries will shed light on the extent to which such places were integrated elements of rural communities rather than isolated components of large-scale economic structures. Because this project focuses on an integrated, regional understanding of quarries, the study is multi-component, combining intensive mapping and artifact collection with analysis of the physical and chemical properties of the stone. The project also aims for broader impacts that reach local and international communities. Collaboration is planned with museums, archaeologists and local stonemasons to share knowledge and resources and to develop plans for the preservation of ancient quarry faces in areas of modern activity. Public presentations will occur in both community settings and scholarly conferences to involve academic and nonacademic audiences with interest in the region. The project will also facilitate the training of Mr. Sekedat and other graduate and undergraduate students participating in CLAS in intensive mapping and scientific analysis. A website will be produced and maintained for the dissemination of data and for open dialogue with academic and non-academic communities, while participation in conferences and publication in peer reviewed journals will engage the international scholarly community.