2026 | PHASELIS http://journal.phaselis.org/en Journal of Interdisciplinary Mediterranean Studies Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:18:08 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.1.10 The Expropriation of Antiquity: Western Travelers, Lycian Monuments, and the Origins of Ottoman Cultural Sovereignty http://journal.phaselis.org/en/2026-2/pha-0192 Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:39:18 +0000 http://journal.phaselis.org/?p=6043 Antikitenin Gasp Edilişi: Batılı Seyyahlar, Lykia Anıtları ve Osmanlı Kültürel Egemenliğinin Kökenler

GÜLSÜN ACAR
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9498-1318

PHASELIS XII (2026) 15-49
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19466432
Received Date: 08.01.2026 | Acceptance Date: 17.03.2026
Online Publication Date: 09.04.2026

Abstract: Focusing on the geographies of Lycia, Pamphylia, and Cilicia, this article problematizes the 19th century expeditions of Western travelers and archaeologists (C. Fellows, T. A. B. Spratt, E. Forbes, E. T. Daniell, J. A. Schönborn and O. Benndorf). While traditionally framed as scientific progress and the preservation of universal heritage, these missions are analyzed through an epistemological and ontological perspective to expose their underlying extractive nature. The study examines the transition from romantic antiquarianism to multidisciplinary topographic archaeology, driven by cartography, visibility analyses, and epigraphic documentation. It argues that massive logistical extractions, such as the transfers of the Trysa Heroon to Vienna and the Nereid Monument to the British Museum, constituted ontological ruptures. These events necessitated a reconstruction of cultural property perception within the Ottoman Empire. Grounded in primary travelogues and unexplored documents from the Ottoman Archives (BOA), the research demonstrates how this evolved into a bureaucratic and legal reflex of sovereignty, culminating in the 1884 Antiquities Regulation (Âsâr-ı Atîka Nizamnâmesi) under Osman Hamdi Bey. Ultimately, the article exposes the historical conflict between metropolitan museums severing objects from their contexts and the emerging Ottoman ideal of in situ preservation, showing how Western exploration paradoxically catalyzed Ottoman cultural independence.

Keywords: Archaeological Historiography, 19th Century Travelers, Lycian Studies, Cultural Property, Ottoman Antiquities Legislation

Top

Öz: Pamphylia ve Kilikia coğrafyalarına odaklanan bu makale, 19. yüzyıl Batılı seyyah ve arkeologlarının (C. Fellows, T. A. B. Spratt, E. Forbes, E. T. Daniell, J. A. Schönborn ve O. Benndorf) keşif faaliyetlerini sorunsallaştırmaktadır. Geleneksel olarak bilimsel ilerleme ve evrensel mirasın korunması çerçevesinde ele alınan bu misyonlar, temelindeki kaynak aktarımcı doğayı ortaya koymak amacıyla epistemolojik ve ontolojik bir perspektifle analiz edilmektedir. Çalışma, haritacılık, görünürlük analizleri ve epigrafik belgeleme gibi yöntemlerin yönlendirdiği, romantik antikacılıktan multidisipliner topoğrafik arkeolojiye geçiş sürecini incelemektedir. Trysa Heroonu’nun Viyana’ya ve Nereidler Anıtı’nın British Museum’a taşınması gibi devasa lojistik operasyonların ontolojik kırılmalar yarattığı savunulmaktadır. Bu olaylar, Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nda kültürel varlık algısının yeniden inşasını zorunlu kılmıştır. Birincil seyahatnameler ve Osmanlı Arşivi (BOA) belgelerine dayanan araştırma, söz konusu sürecin, Osman Hamdi Bey öncülüğünde 1884 Âsâr-ı Atîka Nizamnâmesi ile zirveye ulaşan bürokratik ve hukuki bir egemenlik refleksine nasıl dönüştüğünü göstermektedir. Sonuç olarak makale, metropol müzelerinin nesneyi bağlamından koparma eylemi ile Osmanlı’nın filizlenen in situ koruma ideali arasındaki tarihsel çatışmayı gözler önüne sermekte; Batılı keşif faaliyetlerinin paradoksal bir şekilde Osmanlı’nın kültürel bağımsızlığını nasıl hızlandırdığını ortaya koymaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Arkeoloji Tarihyazımı, 19. Yüzyıl Seyyahları, Lykia Araştırmaları, Kültürel Varlık, Osmanlı Âsâr-ı Atîka Mevzuatı

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https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19466432

 

Gülsün ACAR
PhD Cand., Akdeniz University, Mediterranean Civilizations Research Institute, Department of Mediterranean Antiquity Studies, Antalya, gulsunacar952@gmail.com | https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9910-9492

 

]]> Bronze Statuettes and a Scale Weight from Andriake, The Port of Myra http://journal.phaselis.org/en/2026-2/pha-0191 Fri, 10 Apr 2026 11:27:22 +0000 http://journal.phaselis.org/?p=6019 Myra’nın Limanı Andriake’den Ele Geçen Bronz Heykelcikler ve Terazi Ağırlığı

SEMA TALU
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9910-9492

PHASELIS XII (2026) 1-13
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18230432
Received Date: 01.01.2026 | Acceptance Date: 15.03.2026
Online Publication Date: 06.04.2026

Abstract: The present study examines two bronze statuettes, two bases, and a bust-shaped scale weight recovered together from a structure identified as a glass workshop, located north of the Plakoma/Agora in Andriake, the port of Myra. The presence of scale sets among the finds indicates that the premises also functioned as a commercial shop. The discussed assemblage consists of a statuette of Aphrodite and an ithyphallic dwarf/pygmy, along with two bases of different forms and a scale weight in the shape of Silenos. Evaluations based on analogy and stylistic analysis reveal that the finds date to the Roman Imperial Period. The discovery of these statuettes in a context associated with both glass production and probable commercial transactions is of significant importance, as it demonstrates the manifestation of religious beliefs within commercial spheres and reflects the cultural fabric of the period.

Keywords: Myra, Andriake, Bronze Statuettes, Roman Period

Top

Öz: Bu çalışmada, Myra’nın liman mahallesi Andriake’de, Plakoma/Agora’nın kuzeyinde yer alan ve bir cam atölyesi olarak tanımlanan yapıda bir arada ele geçen iki bronz heykelcik, iki kaide ve büst formunda bir terazi ağırlığı incelenmektedir. Buluntular arasında terazi takımlarının yer alması, söz konusu mekânın aynı zamanda ticari bir dükkân olarak da işlev gördüğüne işaret etmektedir. Bahsi geçen buluntu grubu; bir Aphrodite ve bir itifallik cüce/pigme heykelciğinin yanı sıra, farklı formlara sahip iki kaide ile Silenos biçimli bir terazi ağırlığından oluşmaktadır. Analoji ve üslup kritiği yöntemleriyle yapılan değerlendirmeler, buluntuların Roma İmparatorluk Dönemi’ne tarihlendiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Bu heykelciklerin hem cam üretiminin hem de muhtemel ticari faaliyetlerin yürütüldüğü bir mekânda bulunması, dini inançların ticari alanlardaki yansımalarını göstermesi ve dönemin kültürel dokusuna ışık tutması bakımından büyük önem taşımaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Myra, Andriake, Bronz Heykelcikler, Roma Dönemi

Analiz

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Talu S. 2026, “Bronze Statuettes and a Scale Weight from Andriake, The Port of Myra”. Phaselis XII, 1-13. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18230432

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18230432

 

Sema TALU
PhD Cand, Akdeniz University, Institute of Social Sciences, Archaeology Department, talusema@gmail.com | https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9910-9492

 

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