Shifting Centers of Maritime Activity in the Eastern Mediterranean: A View from Burgaz or “Old Knidos”

Excavation at the settlement of Burgaz on Turkey’s Datça peninsula—at the junction of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas—has revealed uninterrupted occupation from the Archaic period through Late Antiquity. With its proximity to fertile land and the sea, Burgaz is generally considered to be the early settlement of the Knidians, long famed for their nude cult statue of the goddess Aphrodite. While settlement at “New Knidos” on the tip of the peninsula flourishes from the late fourth century BCE, earlier remains at the site are scarce. Seeking information about the earlier settlement’s economic success and subsequent demise, our project undertakes comprehensive survey and excavation in the four harbors of Burgaz in tandem with a broader project of underwater cultural heritage advocacy in Turkey and beyond.
The project investigates the question of “wandering cities” or “portable ports” in antiquity, collecting archaeological evidence for the curious phenomenon of settlements which—through catastrophe or gradual environmental or economic decline—shift their population core from one locale to another. By combining excavation with surface survey and geophysical prospection both on land and underwater, we seek answers about the long-term development of the town, its military and commercial ports, and its integration within a broader maritime cultural and economic landscape. Through analysis of architectural structures and cultural artifacts we ask why the early city of the Knidians flourished and how it adapted to changing patterns of regional and international connectivity in the Mediterranean world.

Elizabeth S. Greene is Associate Professor of Greek Art and Archaeology at Brock University (St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada).

Sponsored by the UCSB Ancient Mediterranean Studies Program, Borderlands Research Focus Group, and Archaeology Research Focus Group.

jwil 28.iii.2014