Geotraveller 23. Pamukkale and Hieropolis, Turkey: Spectacular Travertine Terraces and an Ancient City (original) (raw)
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Faulted archaeological relics at Hierapolis (Pamukkale), Turkey
Journal of Geodynamics, 1997
The former Roman city of Hierapolis (modem Pamukkale), within the Biiyiik Menderes valley, contains an abundance of faulted architectural relics related to damaging earthquakes that have occurred since at least 60 A.D. Faulted relics include: (1) a Roman freshwater channel; (2) a mid-Roman relief carved into a fault plane; (3) Roman and Byzantine walls offset across the Hierapolis normal fault zone; (4) the walls of a late Byzantine fort offset more than once across a fissure/fault; and (5) numerous displaced wall-like Roman and post-Roman petrified water channels. In addition to these faulted relics, numerous monuments display tilted and toppled walls; maximum damage generally being adjacent to the Hierapolis fault zone which passes through the centre of the city. Many relics are also partly covered by faultingrelated travertine deposits.
Denizli basin is situated at the junction of NW-SE trending Gediz Graben and E-W trending Büyük Menderes Graben in the eastern part of the western Anadolu (Anatolian) extensional province in western Turkey, which has been home to many civilizations during its long history and therefore has ruins of many antique cities and settlements. Most of antique cities were destroyed by strong earthquakes that occurred in ancient times. Strong historical earthquakes in Denizli basin caused heavy damage to antique cities in the region, namely, Hierapolis in Pamukkale, Laodikeia in Denizli city center, colassae in Honaz, Attuda in Babadag and Tripolis in Buldan. A strong earthquake occurred in the early seventh century AD in Lykos (Ç ürüksu) Valley of the Denizli area, heavily damaging the antique cities in the region and causing people to abandon their cities. Recent archaeological excavations in Hierapolis and Laodikeia clearly revealed many relics associated with the early seventh century AD earthquake. For example, the collapse directions of columns and walls are mainly towards the NE or SW. The surface ruptures in the Hierapolis antique city area in the Pamukkale area prove that Pamukkale Fault is the main active fault producing strong earthquakes in the region, and severe damage is induced by earthquakes having a magnitude 6.5 or more. However, the largest earthquake could be up to 7.1 in the Denizli Basin.
Integrated geophysical investigations in Hierapolis of Phrygia (Turkey)
Near Surface Geophysics, 2012
This paper concerns the various methods of geophysical prospecting (ground-penetrating radar, magnetometry and electrical resistivity tomography) applied in Hierapolis of Phrygia, by the Italian Archaeological Mission, during the campaigns of 2007 and 2008. In one case, GPR measurements were verified through excavations during the campaign of 2010, which clarified the causes of different anomalies. The integration between the different methods (in turn integrated with other exploration methods of the surface, such as archaeological surveys and remote sensing from an aerial platform and satellite), applied in areas of the city with different geological characteristics, allowed the retrieval of important data on the urban layout in areas characterized by thick colluvial and alluvial deposits and in areas where there are extensive limestone formations that have formed recently (after an earthquake in the middle of the 7 th century AD) and have been incorporated into the ancient remains. tomography (Scardozzi 2010); geophysical prospecting was conducted by the GGH Company of Freiburg. Other GPR measurements were conducted during the 2010 and 2011 campaigns but these data, still in processing, are not analysed in this paper. The multidisciplinary approach applied in Hierapolis and based on the integration of different remote sensing technologies, was particularly necessary in some areas of the city, where colluvial and alluvial sediments and a thick layer of limestone prevented the observation of the articulation of the urban layout. The layers of limestone have covered the western side of Hierapolis since the Mediaeval age and have been generated by calcareous water from the thermal springs along the seismic fault that runs into the ancient urban area. Geophysical surveys, tested in various points with different geo-morphological characteristics, have allowed to individuate traces of paved roads, squares and structures buried under a thick depository of 3-4 m; particularly important for appropriate interpretation was integration with the already acquired information, through geo-referencing of the results (horizontal slices and sections) in the archaeological map of the city, comparison with the collected data during the archaeological surveys and analysis of the satellite and aerial images. STUDY AREA The ancient city of Hierapolis in Phrygia is situated near the modern village of Pamukkale, in the region of Denizli, about 200 km east of Izmir. Beginning in 1957 the Italian Archaeological Mission has been carrying out excavations and restorations in the
A geophysical investigation of the Late Roman underground settlement at Aydintepe, Northeast Turkey
Geoarchaeology-an International Journal, 2008
The Aydintepe underground settlement in northeastern Turkey is a series of subsurface galleries carved in Eocene-aged volcanic tuff. Rescue excavations conducted by the Local Archaeological Museum of Erzurum in 1996 and 1997 uncovered a large settlement with several underground rooms linked by passages. According to the excavators, it may have been built as a hideout and shelter by the first Christians who were banished by the Romans during the 3rd century A.D. Despite its historical and touristic value, parts of the underground settlement at Aydintepe have been destroyed to make room for the construction of new buildings in the modern town. As part of a conservation strategy for this important archaeological resource, a series of ground penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity measurements were conducted along eight profiles between 2003 and 2005. GPR soundings with a 100-MHz unshielded antenna yielded reflected hyperbolic signals with high amplitude from tunnel structures. These highamplitude signals corresponded to areas of high electrical resistivity. These anomalies allow us to determine the probable locations of tunnels within the underground settlement and they provide important data that can be used to prevent future damage from modern construction. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Geodinamica Acta, 2001
The NE-SW-trending Burdur-Fethiye fault zone is one of the major active fault zones of southwestern Turkey and the ancient city of Cibyra is located on this zone. Segments of the Burdur-Fethiye fault zone have ruptured in the historical period and during the 20th century. A detailed investigation in the ancient city of Cibyra showed the presence of faults sinistrally offset sitting rows of the stadium up to 50 cm. In addition, there are broken corners of blocks, collapsed walls, broken columns, and tilted and toppled blocks in existing major buildings in the city centre. Field observations showed that fractures and associated damage at Cibyra were produced by a post-Roman earthquake, possibly during the 417-A.D.-earthquake which had an intensity of 9 on the MSK scale. © 2001 Éditions scientifiques et médicales Elsevier SAS fault zone / fault segment / post-Roman earthquake / Cibyra
Earthquakes and Ancient Site Selection in West Anatolia
2012
This study investigates the relationship between the ancient settlements in west Anatolia and physical, environmental parameters including topography, rock and morphological classes. Modern settlements are also included in the study to analyze if the response has changed to these parameters from past to the present. The databases created in the study include three topographic attributes (elevation, slope and aspect), rock type, ancient settlements and modern settlements. Analyses performed in the study involve distance and density analyses, morphological analysis; distribution within the rock types both for ancient and modern settlements. The results of the study demonstrated that 1) the active faults produced attractive topography to settle, 2) people preferred the vicinity of the fault line as settlement location, and 3) they were not aware of the earthquake potential of their location. Therefore, because of the advantage of the location they did not consider to change the place as indicated by rebuilding their settlement repeatedly at the same place after it is damaged. Key words: earthquakes, active faults, Greek and Roman period, west Anatolia, GIS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bu çalışma, antik yerleşimlerle bu yerleşimlerin sahip olduğu topografik, kaya ve morfolojik tipleri gibi fiziksel ve çevresel parametreler arasındaki ilişkileri incelemekte. Bu çalışmada modern yerleşimlerde yer verilerek zaman içinde depreme olan tepkinin geçmişten günümüze değişip değişmedi analiz edilmeye çalışılmıştır. Çalışmada üç topoğrafik değer (yükseklik, eğim, bakı), kaya türü, antik yerleşimler ve modern yerleşimlerin veritabanları yaratılmıştır. Çalışmada, antik ve modern yerleşimler için uzaklık ve yoğunluk analizi, morfoloji analizi; her iki yerleşim için de kaya türlerinin dağılımın analizi yapılmıştır. Bu çalışmanın sonuçları şunları göstermiştir 1) aktif faylar yerleşim için uygun topoğrafyalar oluşturmuştur, 2) yerleşim yeri olarak insanlar fay hattına yakın yerleri seçmişlerdir, ve 3) onlar yerleşim yerlerindeki deprem potansiyelinden farkında değildiler. Buna ilaveten, yerleşim yerlerinin avantajından dolayı, zararda görseler tekrardan binalar yaparak yerlişim yerlerini değiştirmeyi düşünmemişlerdir. Anahtar kelimeler: deprem, aktif faylar, Yunan ve Roma dönemi, Batı Anadolu,GIS
Earthquake faulting at ancient Cnidus, SW Turkey
Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences, 2003
Abstract: The ruins of Cnidus, an important ancient city in southwestern Asia Minor, lie directly on an earthquake fault–the Cnidus Fault. Offset and deformed archaeological remains along the trace of the fault testify to its recent activation. The ancient city's famous Round Temple of Aphrodite is vertically offset by 0.35 m across the fault. The fault also forms the back wall to the Sanctuary of Demeter where Roman-age walls are displaced and deformed by slip on the fault. Archaeological evidence suggests multiple episodes of ...