https://publications.dainst.org iDAI.publications ELEKTRONISCHE PUBLIKATIONEN DES DEUTSCHEN ARCHÄOLOGISCHEN INSTITUTS Dies ist ein digitaler Sonderdruck des Beitrags / This is a digital offprint of the article Philipp Niewöhner An Ancient Cave Sanctuary underneath the Theatre of Miletus, Beauty, Mutilation, and Burial of Ancient Sculpture in Late Antiquity, and the History of the Seaward Defences aus / from Archäologischer Anzeiger Ausgabe / Issue 1 • 2016 Seite / Page 67–156 https://publications.dainst.org/journals/aa/1931/5962 • urn:nbn:de:0048-journals.aa-2016-1-p67-156-v5962.3 Verantwortliche Redaktion / Publishing editor Redaktion der Zentrale | Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Weitere Informationen unter / For further information see https://publications.dainst.org/journals/aa ISSN der Online-Ausgabe / ISSN of the online edition 2510-4713 Verlag / Publisher Ernst Wasmuth Verlag GmbH & Co. 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Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org) Philipp Niewöhner An Ancient Cave Sanctuary underneath the Theatre of Miletus, Beauty, Mutilation, and Burial of Ancient Sculpture in Late Antiquity, and the History of the Seaward Defences with contributions by Lucy Audley-Miller, Ercan Erkul, Stefan Giese, Sabine Huy, and Harald Stümpel A cave underneath the theatre of Miletus in western Turkey has as yet received little scholarly attention. The area in front of the cave was excavated in the early 20th century, but the interior appears to have been left untouched and unexplored. A. von Gerkan published drawings and photographs of the exte- rior in his book on the city walls of Miletus, because the walls pass outside the cave1. G. Kleiner in his general overview of Miletus identifies the cave as an ancient sanctuary and notes two building phases, an earlier one and a Roman renovation2. In 2013 the city walls were again under investigation, now with a focus on their latest, Byzantine phase that had previously received little attention3. The Byzantine city walls have a gate in front of the cave, and in order to exclude the cave as a possible reason for this gate as well as to remedy the omission of previous research, it was decided to investigate the interior4. The cave turned out to contain a spring and can thus be identified as a healing shrine. It underwent two main building phases, both of which appear to be linked to building phases of the theatre, one Hellenistic and the other Roman; the earlier, pre-Hellenistic situation has been largely obscured by the later interventions. The cave contained terracotta figures and limbs that might have been votive offerings. 44 late antique oil lamps may also have been votives; they were buried inside the spring, when the spring was filled in at the turn of the fifth century A.D. or soon thereafter. The infill also contained marble sculptures from the stage building of the Roman theatre that had previ- ously been mutilated, probably by Christians and possibly in order to mar their beauty. The infill hid the spring as well as burying the lamps and marbles. This appears to have had the twofold function of closing the sanctuary – probably in response to the anti-pagan laws of the Theodosian emperors – and of protect- ing the sacred spring, the votive offerings, as well as the marble sculptures from further abuse and destruction. In addition, findings from around the cave also shed light on the history of the seaward defences that may date back to Archaic times and, in the Byzantine period, were renovated to include a sophisticated gate with zwinger. The history of the fortifications frames that of the cave, the Hellenistic seawalls are key to a likely identification of the sanctuary as the Asclepeion of Miletus, and the Byzantine gate confirms that the healing cult was discontinued in late antiquity. 1 von Gerkan 1935, 88–96 fig. 57 f. first results, see Niewöhner 2013b, was funded by the Socrates/Erasmus 63–65. 181–186. Programme of the European Union. 2 Kleiner 1968, 73 fig. 47. Curiously, 4 We would like to acknowledge K. Thormann (Cottbus) helped S. Giese Krauss 1973 publishes the theatre without and sincerely thank the following: to measure and draw the plan in 2013 mentioning the cave. The geophysical prospection served as (Fig. 17). I. Cartwright (Oxford) took 3 S. Giese is preparing an architectural field school for students from Kocaeli 360°-photographs of the cave’s interior study of the Byzantine city walls. For University (Ismail Kaplanvural), and it in 2013 (Figs. 20. 24. 27; see also AA 2016/1, 67–156 68 Philipp Niewöhner The following presentation of the findings from 2013 and the conclusions from 2014, when the finds were studied, is preliminary in character. A. Vacek started a new excavation project outside the cave in 2015, and it is to be expected that his findings will lead to revision of this paper and will further enhance our understanding of the cave. This report presents and discusses the following: Ancient Buildings in front of the Cave, the Orthogonal Street Grid, and the Date of the Ancient Sea Walls Arcaded Façade of the Cave Interior of the Cave • Architecture • Excavation Stratigraphy Burial of Ancient Sculptures inside the Sacred Spring • Finds Pottery Lamps Terracotta Figures and Limbs Sculptures, Original Context, Damage, and Defacement Dedication of the Pagan Sanctuary Extent and Chronological Development of the Pagan Sanctuary Closure of the Pagan Sanctuary. Christian Mutilation of Ancient Sculptures and the Issue of Beauty • Pagans or Christians? • Mutilation • Christian Beauty • Pagan Beauty • Pagans and Christians at Miletus Early Byzantine Buildings in front of the Cave: Sea Walls, Gates, Zwinger, and Cross Walls Conclusions Ancient Buildings in front of the Cave, the Orthogonal Street Grid, and the Date of the Ancient Sea Walls <http://www.360cities.net/image/ late-antique-and-byzantine-miletus-an- The cave is enclosed in a rock that forms a south-facing terrace in front of the ancient-cave-sanctuary> [15.07.2016]). theatre, above the Theatre Bay that has since filled with sediments and fallen S. Rühl and E. Baumann (Bochum) dry (Figs. 1. 2). In the Roman period the rock was encased and partly replaced assisted S. Huy in processing and studying the small finds in 2014. I. Boyer and with an arcaded masonry façade (Fig. 3). Access to the cave is through a Hel- J. Capelle (Lyon) took reflectance trans- lenistic building and a Roman corridor that stand in front of the rock terrace formation images in 2015 (Fig. 126). (Figs. 3–5). The Hellenistic building is known only through its northwest Permission was granted by the Turkish directorate of antiquities at Ankara and by corner (2.8 m × 2.2 m) that was excavated in the early 20th century and is 5 Hasibe Akat Islam, director of the Miletus aligned with the ancient street grid in the city centre . One row of embossed Museum. Funding was mainly provided foundation blocks and one row of finely dressed ashlars with chisel-draft by the German Archaeological Institute, that indicate a Hellenistic date6 are preserved below Roman/Byzantine floor president Frederike Fless, and director level. Everything above ground was probably taken down and re-used, when Felix Pirson. In addition, the Craven Fund (Oxford) financed L. Audley-Miller’s the Byzantine city walls were built in or soon after the seventh century A.D. participation and the Dumbarton Oaks (see below), as the walls cut across the southern part of the building (Fig. 4) Research Library at Washington D.C. and incorporate numerous re-used Hellenistic ashlars with bossage and chis- enabled Ph. Niewöhner to complete eldraft (Fig. 6). work on the manuscript during a fellow- ship in 2014/2015. The Roman corridor connects the Hellenistic building with the entrance 5 von Gerkan 1935, 95. to the cave. The corridor is roughly 5 m long, 90 cm wide, 2 m high, and has 6 Cf. Saner 2000. AA 2016/1, 67–156 Miletus Fig. 1 Roman theatre and late Byzantine citadel, aerial view from south. In antiquity, the area in front of the theatre used to be a bay, and the brown fields in the background formed a gulf, but during the Byzantine period everything filled with alluvial sediments from the Maeander River and fell dry Fig.