Myndos Excavations and Research 2004 - 2013

A collection of Myndos related papers titled Myndos Kazi ve Araştirmalari, Myndos Excavations and Researches 2004-2013, edited by Dr Derya Şahin, was published in 2016 and a number of the authors have been posting their papers over the last few weeks on academia.edu

All of the papers are in Turkish, below are links to two of them

Myndos Asar/Tavşan Adasi Geç Antik Dönem Kandilleri

Myndos Asar Island Late Antique Lamps

Dr Sinan Mimaroğlu of Mustafa Kemal University.

ABSTRACT

Myndos ancient city which was one of the ancient Caria cities in the ancient geography, is today located in Gümüşlük town of Bodrum district in Muğla province in southern Turkey. Locating right across Myndos ancient city Asar/Tavşan Island has a crucial place to protect the harbor of the city. Structural layers came to light as a result of the excavation digs belong to early Hellenistic period in Asar Island. Some settlement relevant to the topography of the island had been located around the church that built on the hill in the late antiquity and dates back to A.D. 5th. It is determined that new settling had been planned in a new placement settlement pattern on the old layers. It is considered that these unearthed place-ments settlement was were not for civil uses but directly related to the church and it is a monastery complex. historical findings empower the idea of the monastery complex. The last layer is composed of the fortification walls that date back to Late Byzantine period. Terra-cotta lamps dealt in this essay were found during the excavation carried out between 2009 and 2013 in Myndos city on Asar/Tavşan Island that protects the ancient city harbor. The most of lamps are Asia Minor type (Ephesos). There are only two African Red Slip type lamps. Terra cotta lamps indicate the presence of a trade in the Myndos/Asar Island. It is suggested that the lamps were in use between A.D. 6-7. th century depending on their analogy.

Academia.edu

Asar / Tavşan Adasi Ekmek Mühür Kalıbı ve Hacı Pulları

The Bread Stamp and Pilgrim Tokens from Myndos Asar / Tavşan Island

Dr Derya Şahin and Dr Emine Tok

ABSTRACT:

The subject of the study is the bread stamp and the two pilgrim tokens found at Myndos Asar/Tavşan Island during the excavation campaign of 2013. As a result of the evaluations made, it is determined that the descriptions on the bread stamp mold and the pilgrim tokens belonged to the saints martyrized for religion and they were used during the Eucharistic Liturgies. These findings, which also made the architectural pattern of the island more meaningful, indicate that the island was used as a cult center during the Early Byzantine Period.

Academia.edu

Tubaked.tuba.gov.tr

The latter is a direct link to a PDF and requires no login details.

73 Years Ago Today

It was 73 years ago today, during WW2, that two allied destroyers, HMS Hurworth and HHelMS Adrias sailed into a recently laid mine field between Gümüşlük and Kalymnos.

Adrias was the first casualty; Hurworth sank with the loss of over a hundred men while coming to the aid of Adrias.

Adrias, with some of the survivors from Hurworth, made her way to Gümüşlük.

Below are a number of links to eye witness accounts of the fateful events and Adrias’ time in Gümüşlük.

Adrias - Hitting the Minel

Adrias at Gümüşlük

Hurworth - The Sinking

Adrias Arriving in Alexandria

A Day at the UKHO Archives

Back in 2009 when I purchased a copy of the Chart L1573 from the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) in Taunton I was advised that there were a number of original documents that might also be of interest.

L1573 was the original chart titled “Plan Of Port Gumishlu and Remains of the Ancient Myndus” plotted by Lt Cdr Thomas Graves in 1938. The chart was received by the Hydrographic Office on the 30th of Mar 1839 and published in 1844 as Admiralty Chart 1531 “Gumishlu the Antient Myndus”

With Francis Beaufort, who in circa 1811 – 12 first suggested that the harbour and remains at Gümüşlük could be those of Myndos, then being the Hydrographer for the Navy at the time of the survey, I was hoping to find some correspondence between Graves and Beaufort, which may have included a description, or reference to, some of the features shown on the chart e.g. theatre, temples, stadium etc.

Two weeks ago I finally managed to arrange a visit to UKHO to view the surveyor’s letters.

Within the first hour I had found a letter from Graves, on board HMS Beacon in Malta dated 21st Dec 1837, addressed to Capt F Beaufort, which included the following:

“...the site of Baigylia we have determined beyond a doubt and have a ground plan of it - Port Gumishlu has so many ----- in the neighbourhood that I intend giving it a more particular examination, and from the extent of walls and other remains, I have no doubt of it having been the ancient Myndus.”

However four hours later and despite assistance from the research staff who went out of their way to help identify and present several other files and collections of letters, I found no other references to the survey.

Today, while drafting this post, I’ve found an entry in Vol 8 of the Royal Geographical Society that contains a short report from Graves, which was communicated to the society by Beaufort

“At Patmos, where we commenced this year’s survey of the islands and coast of Asia Minor, we made a plan of Gumishlú, which I can with great confidence assert to be the ancient Myndus, from the extent of ruins and a colonnade of fifty two columns of which the pedestals all remain, tombs, &c. The plan of them shall be forwarded as soon as we have time to copy it.”

Graves, Lieutenant, and Brock Lieutenant. "Brief Notice of the Gulfs of Kos and Symi." The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London 8 (1838): 428-29. Web.

This suggests that somewhere in the bowels of the UKHO archive there still could be further correspondence between Graves and Beaufort. The search goes on.

Myndos Excavations to Recommence, Maybe.

A piece in Friday’s Haberler reporting on a meeting of representatives from across Muğla with the Deputy Minister for Culture & Tourism, appears to suggest that the recommencement of the Myndos excavations along with a number of other archaeological projects in the province, including the Bodrum Hippodrome, are under review.

http://www.haberler.com/tarihi-alanlarin-turizme-kazandirilmasi-8361030-haberi/

I wouldn’t expect to see any activity this year; by coincidence I received an email, on Friday, from one of the archaeologists who has worked on the Myndos project and as far as they were aware the excavations were still suspended.

Myndians in History

A new page has been added that lists some of the people of Myndos whose names have been recorded in history,

Myndians in History

There are no great surprises as all the references were found online, but the reason we started the blog was to try and bring together all of these snippets.

There are a few which I hadn’t come across before, Theopompos who sailed with Lysander in the 5th century BC, an unnamed Myndian also from the 5th century whose covert activities are described on a piece of papyrus found at Oxyrhyncia, two Myndians mentioned on fragments of marble stelae held in the British Museum and the involvement of a bishop of Myndos in the one of the early rifts in church doctrine.

Die Haefen von Myndos und ihre Handelseziehungen im Speiegal der Amphorenfunde. Ein Vorbericht

For those who read German, Professor Mustafa Şahin has posted a copy of a paper presented at workshop in Hamburg Feb 2014 titled Die Haefen von Myndos und ihre Handelseziehungen im Speiegal der Amphorenfunde. Ein Vorbericht on Academia.edu

There is an abstract in English which reads:

Between the Asar island and Kocadağ-Aethusa the archaeological excavations succeeded finding the port structure of ancient Myndos. The entrance was protected by these natural structures. As a member of the Dealian League, Myndos had a fleet of 200 ships. In the 5^th century BC the harbour was mostly used for military service. Strabo remarks only one port of Myndos. Later surveys during the 2005/6 campaign showed several new buildings. These structures seemed to belong to a second harbour. Remaining breakwater-structures were also discovered, lying beneath two newly discovered shipwrecks with Egyptian amphora. The expansion of the port-structure until late antiquity prove the importance of the harbour. Myndos seemed to be one of the important trading partners Mediterranean Sea.

I’m assuming the comment regarding a Myndian “fleet of 200 ships” is a typo, or error in translation. In the body of the text there is a reference to Herodotus 5.33, which, in the translations I’ve seen, only mentions a single ship from Myndos being a part of Megabates fleet.

Die Haefen von Myndos und ihre Handelseziehungen im Speiegal der Amphorenfunde. Ein Vorbericht on Academia.edu

Herodotus The Histories 5.33.2 - 5.35.1 on Perseus.uchicago.edu

The "Myndos" 1996 Hoard

One for the numismatists.

In 1996 a hoard reported to consist of coins from Myndos & Halicarnassus appeared on the German market, at around the same time two packages of coins, again from Myndos and Halicarnassus, appeared in commerce in London.

A copy of the report by A R Meadows and B Zabel The “Myndos” 1996 Hoard (CH 9.552) which formed part of Coin Hoard 9 (2002) Numismatic Society Special Publications 35 is available on Academia.edu. You may have to be a numismatist to appreciate the finer detail of the report but it does include a list of the c. 2nd century BC magistrates who issued the coins.     

The Myndos 1996 Hoard on Academia.Edu