Anastasian Wall Project 1999

Following the tragic earthquake in Izmit in August 1999 we decided to postpone the main field season in Thrace until 2000. However we were able to make a short visit in October 1999 to carry out a brief assessment of any damage to the principal monuments and make a number of new observations about the Anastasian Wall and the Byzantine aqueduct system.

There were no clear signs of damage to the best preserved aqueduct at Kursunlugerme and Professor Bono prepared a hypothetical reconstruction of the upper part of the standing structure showing the two major phases of the water channels.

As part of the hydrogeological investigation of the water supply of Constantinople we were able to visit for the first time the main sources beyond Vize and observed lengths of tunnel and a section of recently refurbished channel near the village of Pazarlı (see K. Çeçen, The Longest Roman Water Supply System (Istanbul 1996)). Nearby the impressive springs at Kaynarca were sampled and we were able to measure the discharge. The relative elevation of this source however meant that it could not have directly connected with the main channel from Vize, indicating that water from these sources may also have supplied the southern cities of Thrace. In addition to visiting the aqueduct system in the Thracian hinterland of Constantinople we also carried out a reconnaissance of the most impressive standing monument inside the city, the Bozdoğan Kemeri (Aqueduct of Valens), as part of the forthcoming programme of research concerning water distribution within the city.

In the northern sector of the Anastasian Wall we were able to record detailed elevations at Hisar Tepe and south of Bedesten Tepe using rectified photography. Recent forest clearance around the tower at Hisar Tepe had revealed the outline of a V-shaped structure situated in front of the outer face of the tower. Similar additional works have been observed on other early Byzantine towers in the Balkans and this may constitute a later additional defence to the tower. Significant damage to the line of the Anastasian Wall was noted on the sector between Kuşkaya and Derviş Kapı, caused by pipe laying and the widening of a forest track. A report on this damage was prepared for the General Directorate of Antiquities.

At the southern end of the Anastasian Wall overlooking the Sea of Marmara, we were shown the site of excavations carried out by the İstanbul Archaeological Museum in 1995 in advance of the construction of holiday villas at Altınorak. No surface remains of the Anastasian Wall survive in this sector but its suspected course has been left clear from the development and a short section of the wall foundations is still clearly visible on the high ground at Çamur Çeşme Mevki. Amongst the debris from recent clearance were traces of mortared Byzantine bricks, a significant feature indicating that alternate brick courses were used in the construction of the wall in the Marmara sector. This was a standard construction technique in 5th and 6th century Constantinople and can be contrasted with the all-stone construction which survives more extensively in the north sector of the wall. We are very grateful to Mr Turan Gökyildirim for showing us the site and archives of his excavations on this part of the wall.

Just to the west of the hilltop where the wall appears to end it was possible for us to observe the outline of an ancient stone alignment extending at least 40m into the sea from the sandy shore, a structure which is locally thought to be an old jetty. However we were shown an air photograph of the location in the Silivri Belediye which confirms that the alignment was part of the Anastasian Wall extending into the Sea of Marmara. This feature had not been reported by earlier studies of the Anastasian Wall but is similar to the probaloi described by Procopius on the Chersonese Wall near Gallipoli (The Buildings IV x 7; see Crow and Ricci, Anatolian Archaeology 2, 1996, 17).

Acknowledgements

We are most grateful to the General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums for permission to carry out this work and especially to our representative Sena Mutlu of the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara for the help and forbearance she showed. In addition we would wish to acknowledge the assistance from the Directors of Kırklareli and Istanbul Archaeological Museums and from local officials in Silivri, Vize and Çatalca. We are happy to acknowledge the financial support from the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara and the Seven Pillars of Wisdom Trust.