On Tuesday November 26 the Council Room at King’s College in London was filled with diehard history lovers gathered to hear Dr Günder Varınlıoğlu discuss a fascinating subject: an island settlement in Late Antiquity. Dr Varınlıoğlu is an architect and archaeologist who specialises in rural settlements and landscapes of Anatolia during Late Antiquity. Since 2010 she has directed the Boğsak Archaeological Survey in southern Turkey, focusing on, as its name suggests, the island of Boğsak (above). This specifically was the topic of Tuesday evening’s lecture.
Boğsak Island and surrounding settlements
Located in the ancient province of Isauria on the Mediterranean coast – and today deserted, occasionally attracting few divers and fishermen – Boğsak Island stands out from surrounding coastlands and islands due to its well-preserved settlement dating from Late Antiquity. ‘Off limits until the 4th century due its rough, arid terrain,’ Dr Varınlıoğlu begins, ‘a sizeable Christian settlement with complex infrastructure and architecture was created on the small island between the 4th and 7th centuries’. Located 300 metres off shore from the closest mainland, the island has a total landmass of just seven hectares. In contrast, nearby Dana Island (ancient ‘Pityussa’), located 8km southwest of Boğsak, has a landmass of 280 hectares. Despite this, Dana did not seem to have accommodated such a large settlement. This is of interest.
Aerial view of Boğsak Island, looking from north to south
‘Written sources do not reveal much about the settlements on Boğsak Island,’ Dr Varınlıoğlu continues. However, the only inscription from the island (now housed at the Silifke Museum), dating from the 5th to 6th centuries, records the settlement as ‘Aστερήα’ (Asteria), which was furbished with buildings worthy of a city. ‘Thus, it can be presumed that this was a wealthy village which did not get the status of a city,’ Dr Varınlıoğlu says. ‘The wide bay at Boğsak, well-protected from the north winds, must have offered anchorage, provisions and other amenities to ships and boats along this maritime route. The settlement on the island might have served as a post to control this channel, as well as to notify the mainland about maritime traffic. The island, without arable surfaces, water, wood or any other natural resources, was dependent on coastal settlements for provisioning. Thus, its existence and functions were tightly connected to the settlement at Boğsak Bay and the maritime trade,’ Dr Varınlıoğlu hypothesises.
The remains on the island have so far not been systematically studied. Scholars who have visited the island either left general comments on the remains or focused on single structures. The Boğsak Archaeological Survey was initiated to study the structure of the settlement, and its economic, social and religious fabric; the uses of surviving buildings and inhabited spaces; and the position of the island in the settlement network of Isaurian coastlands and islands. It is this bigger picture that Dr Varınlıoğlu is most interested in.
Stairs leading into the sea on the west shore of Boğsak Island
So what has the survey found so far? Firstly, Dr Varınlıoğlu tells us, that due to the rough terrain and thick vegetation, only certain parts of the island have been accessed as yet. The coasts of the island, including the south and southeast precipices sharply descending into the sea, have been continuously built up. Access to the island is limited and it does not have any natural bays for anchoring, however, its northeastern and western shores had been reworked into quays, breakwaters, piers, stairs and associated structures, providing anchorage and connecting the maritime traffic to the island. There are only a few surviving remains of stairs connecting the sea with the coast. ‘These presumably played a role in controlling access to the bay, however, further fieldwork is needed to determine their functions,’ Dr Varınlıoğlu says.
Houses on the northeast slope
The settlement covered the entire surface of the island, with the densest section being the northeast slope, which was occupied by both independent and row houses. These two-storey, pitch-roofed buildings had rectangular and occasionally arched windows overlooking the Ağa Limanı and the harbour at Holmoi. All the structures were built from rubble masonry bound with mortar. Roof tile fragments embedded in the masonry were also occasionally used. Decorative elements on the structures were typical of rural Isauria in that period.
On the upper parts of the north, northeast, west and south slopes, descending from the summit, extended a large necropolis from Roman and Early Byzantine periods (above image). The mountainous region was ripe for olive oil production, and research has indicated that the olive tress and their products in the hinterland of Boğsak Bay were an integral part of the region’s economy. However, it has not yet been possible to paint the entire picture of the agricultural capacity of the island.
Domed cruciform structure (the chapel) on Boğsak Island
Dr Varınlıoğlu’s team has identified seven churches on the island, all built between the late 5th and late 6th centuries. One is significantly larger than the others, five are of relatively similar size and one is smaller, more of a chapel than a church. All the columns and capitals of the churches were made from local limestone.
Sumptuous marble elements, including pieces of opus sectile on the pavement of some of the churches (above), as well as mosaics, have been discovered. The expensive marble found on Boğsak sets it apart from other settlements in the vicinity.
North and northwestern parts of Boğsak Island
Immediately northwest of one of the basilica churches – the one located at the peak of the peninsula – are traces of an ancient road along the northern shoreline. Like other Isaurian settlements, the 5th and 6th centuries were marked by intense Christianity. An inscription found in one of the churches translates to say ‘Long Live Isauria’. This suggests that the island was a fixture on the religious network/route for pilgrims. Six out of the seven churches are positioned on the eastern coast, easily visible for incoming ships, further strengthening this hypothesis. Dr Varınlıoğlu doesn’t rule out that Boğsak was a ‘pre-conceived place built-up with churches to present itself as a monumental Christian landscape’.
A substantial amount of pottery, glass and metal remains have been found. Even though the pottery is still being studied, the initial results indicate that they are from the 4th to 7th centuries. Ten bronze coins have also been found, all in pretty good condition. No pottery or coins have been found dating beyond the 7th century, but this doesn’t mean that there was no settlement on the island after this time. Did funds run out for the original function of the island? Dr Varınlıoğlu’s team is eager to conduct further investigation to bring us more on this engrossing topic.
Dr Varınlıoğlu is post doctorate fellow at Koç University in Anatolian Civilizations and Cultural Heritage Management. She has recently curated and wrote the catalogue for the ‘Artamonoff: Picturing Byzantine’ exhibition (click here to read more).
All images, except the main image, courtesy of Dr Varınlıoğlu. Main image courtesy of WikiMedia Commons.