3. Cilt - Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı

2) The Early Historic Era (6th-4th centuries B.C.E.)After the Bronze Age, the fi rst evidence for intensive settlement in the valleybelongs to the 6th and 5th centuries B.C.E. Of great interest are a series ofsmall tumulus tombs, which attest close cultural links with Lydia, the Anatolianprincipality and later Persian province north of Aphrodisias. To date, in addition tothree previously known tumuli, six more such tombs have been identifi ed, togetherwith one tomb-marker of the so-called “phallus” type (see fi gs. 3-4) 4 . The locationsof these burial mounds may refl ect a pre-urban society in which the valley wasdominated by an aristocracy of large landowners -- possibly buried either on theirrural estates (a group of the tumulus tombs close to the river) or next to theirdependent villages (a group of tumulus tombs in the hills north of the river).3) The Hellenistic Period (4th-1st centuries B.C.E.)Rural Settlements. The city of Aphrodisias was founded as a Greek polis inthe early 2nd century B.C.E., and a major emphasis of research is the natureof rural settlement in the surrounding area before this time (and by extension abetter understanding of the circumstances that led to the establishment of thenew town), as well as the effect of the growth of the city on outlying villages. In2005 and 2006, a total of 16 small settlements were recorded. In 2006, controlledcollection of surface fi nds was carried out at six of these sites (Figs. 5, 6). Studyof the datable pottery suggests that of these six settlements, fi ve appear to havebeen abandoned in the early imperial period–perhaps because of the growth ofthe new town.Rural Fortifi cations: A major discovery of the fi rst two seasons was of a networkof six hilltop citadels and watchtowers ringing the valley on all sides (Figs. 7, 8).Unlike the earlier tumulus tombs, which show cultural affi nities with Lydia, theserural fortifi cations fi nd their closest parallels in the region of Caria, like Lydia anAnatolian principality with a long pre-Greek heritage, southwest of Aphrodisias.Controlled collection of surface fi nds has shown that all of the known citadels andwatchtowers, some of which may be as early as the 4th century B.C.E., were also4 On previously known tumulus tombs in the region around Aphrodisias, see: S. Atasöy,“Aphrodisias Yöresindeki Tümülüsler”, Belleten 38 (1974) 351–360; R. R. R. Smith and C.Ratté, “Archaeological Research at Aphrodisias in Caria, 1993” AJA 99 (1995) 36-42; R. R. R.Smith and C. Ratté, “Archaeological Research at Aphrodisias in Caria, 1994” AJA 100 (1996)24-25.106