Nicholas K. Rauh

The archaeology of deforestation in south coastal Turkey

The Rough Cilicia Archaeological Survey Project investigates landscape transformation as a component to its regional survey of ancient Rough Cilicia (south coastal Turkey opposite Cyprus). Rough Cilicia was celebrated during antiquity for pristine cedar forests that stood between 1500 and 1800 m in altitude along the slopes of the Taurus Mountains. Today along the front range of the Taurus Mountains this forest is completely denuded or otherwise replanted with recent growth in the past 80 years. We employ paleoenvironmental analysis of relic cedar forests in the Taurus Mountains to construct a timeline of anthropogenic disturbances associated with population growth over time and thereby assess the sustainability of ancient forestry practices. To obtain these data, the team recovers pollen and carbon samples from geomorphologic trenches excavated in the cedar zone, tree ring data from dendrochronological survey of the existing forest, and archaeological data from remains of ancient highland settlements. Preliminary results indicate that current perspectives about the timing of deforestation in this region are flawed and that the initial deforestation coincided with regional site abandonment and population decline at the end of antiquity.

The 2016 Dana Island Survey: Investigation of an Island Harbor in Ancient Rough Cilicia by the Boğsak Archaeological Survey

Dana Island (ancient Pityoussa) is the largest island of the Taşucu Gulf in Rough Cilicia (Turkey). It is strategically located ca. 2.5 km off the shores of the rugged mainland along an ancient maritime route. In 2016, the island was the subject of investigations by the Boğsak Archaeological Survey (BOGA). The pedestrian, architectural, and shoreline survey revealed a lower settlement along the northwestern shore and an upper settlement associated with a fortress on the south summit. The ceramic assemblage and the architectural remains in the lower settlement indicate that it was built in the Early Roman period and reached its largest extent in late antiquity, when four basilical churches were constructed. As such, it likely functioned as a maritime station offering various services to travelers. The fortress on the southern summit of the island, which has a much earlier history, was refurbished in late antiquity and received a basilical church.