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The connection of this presumed temple (sector 33), the open space to its west
(within sectors 25, 26, 27, 30, 32, 33) and the large ashlar building bounding this open
area to the north (sectors 25, 26), seems to point toward the presence of a previously
unknown monumental focus of the urban area, whereby the open space may have
functioned as a kind of third agora and the monumental, internally subdivided building
to its north, may have performed a storage function. The fact that the road, giving access
to the town from the southeast, must have passed just to the south of this presumed
public area, may explain the presence of civic and monumental constructions at
this remote location.
With respect to the finds, this monumental area yielded a significant concentration
of dolium sherds, all of which were found in the sectors within or just south of the
presumed agora. These finds may comply with the presumed storage function of the
monumental building, on the condition that the chronology of the pottery would match
the time of use of this construction.
Remarkably the survey of the area of the presumed storage building and the
northern part of the supposed agora yielded a large amount of both plain limestone tesserae
belonging to a mosaic in opus tesselatum, as well as several tesserae of colourful
glass paste, belonging to a mosaic, partially (?), in the more luxurious opus vermiculatum.
In addition, also fragments of marble wall veneer were found in sectors 30
and 31. Although recent cultivation of this area may have resulted in a better representation
of the finds, this evidence clearly points to a rich furnishing of whatever construction
once occupied the upper part of the large building, opening towards a terrace
at a higher level in the tradition of the Hellenistic ‘market buildings’. Future analysis of
the pottery evidence will undoubtedly add more information to the internal chronology
of the use or possible later re-use of the constructions here.
The area covered during the 2003 survey connected the north-western residential
area of the town (2001 survey campaign) with the sepulchral/artisanal area which
was covered to the south of the late fortification wall during the urban survey of the
2000 campaign. South of the presumed agora and west of the «Southwest Temple»,
evidence was found to further confirm the identification of this area as a sepulchral/ artisanal
quarter.
Within and to the west of sector 24, northwest of the «Southwest Temple» and
outside of the previously walled area, the decorated architectural elements were found
of a monumental tomb, likely of middle Imperial date. One of these blocks belonged to
the gable of the monument and was decorated with a Triton. Few sepulchral remains
were also found within the walled -residential-area. These elements, however, were
clearly not in situ and were likely reused here as building blocks, possibly in late antiquity.
The most important discoveries were a lid of a sepulchral urn with lotus motive,
a type previously unknown at Sagalassos, and a block with the nicely carved decoration
of a laurel-wreath, which may have belonged to a monumental tomb or commemorative
monument.
The presumed artisanal function of the area south of the presumed new agora
was also supported by the collection of relative concentrations of metal slag in the order
of 1 to 5 pieces per square, but with the discovery of waste products related to metal
working activity or smiting. In the mean time, analysis of soil samples, showing high
concentrations of heavy metal pollution, do also confirm this hypothesis (Fig. 7).
I.a.3. Conclusions
The 2003 survey confirmed the function of the entire western part of the town
enclosed within the late wall, as a residential area. Although topographically the lower
part of this area, which was situated in a valley, would not seem to contain the most
prestigious houses, the finds testify that especially the southeastern part of the surveyed
area may have contained houses of a more luxurious status. As opposed to the
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