3. Cilt - Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı

settlements and on local lore, designed to address specifi c questions arising inthis instance out of the excavations at the city-site of Aphrodisias. In 2006, “highintensity”sampling of selected areas throughout the valley was also begun, andthat strategy will be pursued in coming seasons, in order to form a better idea ofhow accurately the archaeological evidence recovered so far represents actualhabitation in the valley throughout history.The ultimate goal of Aphrodisias Regional Survey is not only to improve ourunderstanding of the history of this particular region, but also to shed new light onone of the most characteristic features of ancient Greek and Roman civilization --the emergence, growth and success, and almost total disappearance of cities fromrural areas throughout the Mediterranean basin. The archaeological excavationscarried out at town-sites such as Aphrodisias over the last century and a half havegiven us a vivid picture of ancient Greek and Roman civic culture. By turning ourattention to the surrounding countryside, by taking an interdisciplinary approachto the study of the rural environment, and by combining traditional and modernmethods of data collection and analysis, we will endow that picture with newrichness and new scope.110