11. Araştırma Sonuçları Toplantısı - Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı

8.3m wide, abutting it to the south are the remains of a ruined apse. Tothe west of it on the highest point within the enelosure is a large structureovergrown with dense vegetation, locally known as the havuz or opencistern. The outline of a multi-apsidal plan could be seen with rectangularbuildings to the west, these buildings had been eleared and inadequatelyplanned in 1988. it is hoped to carry out a detailed survey of this structurein 1993.Apart from these structures the interior was empty of visible archaeologicalremains; roof tiles of varying fabric and colour represented theoverwhelming majority of surface finds, with only three pottery sherds.Recent cutting of open field drains across much of the interior of the sitehad revealed neither pottery nor structural remains. It is elear howeverthat there are extensive hillwash deposits on even shallow slopes, so thatfurther remains could well be obscured especially around the north perimeter.An alternative explanation for the absence of surviving internalstructures could be the extensive use of timber buildings in what remainsa richly wooded landscape.Structurally the remains appear to belong to one major period, withadditional buildings constructed against the south and west walls. Exeludingthe central buildings (havuz), there are five churches along thecurtain wall, with two other possible apsidal structures. At the gates andthe majority of towers it appears that religious architecture takes priorityover the requirements of defence. The site is elearly not a Roman or IateRoman fort and the fort of Hyssos Liman may be better identified atAraklı Kalesi noted above and within 2 km south-east of the site at Buzluca.Buzluca is unlikely to date before the sixth or seventh centuries ADand it has been suggested that the medieval and modem name of Herakleia/Araklı derives from the campaigns of the emperor Heraelius inthe Pontos between 622 and 626 (Bryer and Winfield 1985:327). Thesole dating evidence from the site which has been studied so far is thesole surviving fragment of architectural decoration found elose to thesouth-east corner chapel-tower (Fig. 2). This is the fragment of a limestonerelief cross, probably part of a pilaster capitaL. The form of thecross with divided ends and deep drilling is unlike early Byzantine architecturalsculpture, and eloser affinities lie beyond Anatolia with theChristian architecture of the Caucasus and the Sassanian empire (MundellI977).The recent survey has shown Buzluca to be an impressive singleperiod site elose to the castle and cape at Araklı Burnu. It is hoped that76