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©The Archaeological Settlements of Turkey - TAY Project
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Tas Kule |
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Type:
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Monument Burial |
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Altitude:
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m |
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Region:
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Aegean |
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Province:
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Izmir |
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District:
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Foça |
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Village:
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Bagarasi |
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Investigation Method:
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Excavation |
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Period:
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Archaic |
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| Location: It is situated next to a bridge from the late Late Ottoman Period near the former Izmir road at the 7th kilometer of the Foça-Izmir Motorway to the east of Foça. The road was probably an extension of the Royal Road linking Susa with Sardis [Özyigit 2003:334]. |
| Geography and Environment: |
| History: |
| Research and Excavation: It was excavated by D.N. Cahill in 1984 and by Ö. Özyigit in 2000. |
| Stratigraphy: |
| Small Finds: Grave: The monumental tomb was carved into a monoblock tuff rock. It should have been built during the invasion of Phokaia by the Persian army under the command of General Harpagos immediately following the Persian capture of Sardis. Many of the scientists who studied the monument dated it to more later periods [Özyigit 2003:334]. The substructure of the monument composes the main body, and the superstructure has a cubic form. There are four 35-42 cm high steps between the superstructure belonging to the roof and the main body. The first three steps join with the façade, loosing their function as step. Only one of the small size steps on the cubic superstructure has been preserved. The monument gets smaller towards the top, reminding the pyramides. There is a pseudo door in the façade of the substructure. It is a symbolic entrance to the grave. It is usually interpreted as the transition from life to death. The real entrance is on the west façade, leading into the anterior chamber and the grave chamber. At the end of the burial chamber is a grave carved into the floor. There are no decorations on the walls. Similar decorations on the pseudo door are also observed in the Ionian and Lydian architecture. On the other hand, they are very similar to the tomb of King Kyros at Pasargadae in Iran, of the Temple of Fire so called the Suleiman's Dungeon and also to the Temple of Fire at Naksh-i Rustam. But the examples in Iran belong to later periods than the ones in Phokaia. Although the profile of the series of leaves on the pseudo door is very similar to the ones at the tomb of Kyros which was dated to 530 BC, it apparently has a less developed profile. Therefore the development process of the Persian Monumental Tomb suggests a date earlier than 10-20 years. The Phokaian tomb is a forerunner of the tombs in Iran [Özyigit 2002:334; Cahill 1984:145]. There is a pit at the center in front of the pseudo door, and a larger one on the podium, and at the center of the first step at the top of the monument. These pits were probably fire pits related with the Zoroastrian cult of fire. Both pits are on the long axis of the grave. Traces of a destroyed altar adjacent to the podium on the ceremony area behind the monument are observed. Furthermore, the excavations near the altar yielded a volute fragment bearing the 6th century BC characteristics. Traces of a stele which presumably bears the names of the grave owners are observed on the façade facing the altar area [Özyigit 2003:334]. According to Özyigit, the grave was built by Kyros for King Abradatas of Susa, who participated in the war against Lydia with Kyros and died, and for her wife Panthea, who killed herself upon the death of her husband. His suggestion is based on Xenephon. Xenephon mentioned that the Persian King Kyros built a grave for Abradatas and his wife with an altar in front of the grave for votives as well as a stele with inscriptions bearing the names of the husband and wife erected on the monument [Özyigit 2003:334-335]. |
| Remains: |
| Interpretation and Dating: |
