Türkiye'deki Antik Roma Banyo Şehri Tekrar Gömüldü
-
Ancient Roman Spa City Reburied in Turkey
01/03/2011 00:00:00
Discovered in 1998 and only partiallyexcavated, the nearly 2,000-year-old city of Allianoi was home to baths and natural springs favored by the Romans for their health benefits.
Today, however, the well-preserved ruins lie in the path of a proposed dam that wouldfloodthe region to create anartificialreservoir. The Yortanli Dam will provide water for thousands of acres ofagriculturalland, and farmers living near Turkey's Aegean coast strongly support the project.
Turkish officials say thatcoveringAllianoi withsandbefore the flooding will protect the site for the future, and earlier this month teams completed thereburial. But the dam project is still being ,challengedboth in thecourtsand amongconservationistsand otheropponents.
Allianoi, one of the world's oldest existing bath and spasettlements, began to disappear under the sand—onewheelbarrowat a time—in September 2010.
The decision to rebury the site, near the modern-day city of Bergama, was made in August by a localpreservationboard, and it has been hotlyprotestedbyactivistsand archaeologists.
"The method isobsoleteand it willdestroy, rather than protect, the ancient site," İlker Ertuğrul, a member of the Istanbul Chamber of Architects, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review newspaper.
Columnsrise from shallow wateramidthe ruins of Allianoi in a February 2008 photo. Romannotablesonceflockedto the city's pools, bathhouses, and other structures to enjoy the health benefits of the natural springs.
Architect Ertuğrul told the Hürriyet newspaper that covering Allianoi with sand will provide little protection from floodwaters.
The region'srelativewarm water will cause chemical reactions that will destroy metals, mosaics, and even stone walls at the site—all of which have so far beenremarkablypreserved, Ertuğrulasserted.
Some opponents of the dam believe that increased tourism might be one reason Allianoi is worth saving.
There's also thepotentialfor finding unknown treasures. By some estimates, as much as 75 percent of the site has yet to be excavated.
It's unclear how the ruins of Allianoi willfareif the dam projectproceeds. The University of Chicago's Moeller is optimistic that the city might not be destroyed by flooding, but she's not so sure about Allianoi's futureprospectsas an archaeological site.
"I think if it's covered, it could stay pretty well preserved," she said. "Obviouslywater damages things like wood or paintedfrescoesthat wouldn't survive. But the structures and other things likepotteryI think will stay.
"But once there's a dam and a lake on top, when is anyone ever going to see it or excavate it again?"
Türkiye'deki Antik Roma Banyo Şehri Tekrar Gömüldü - Ancient Roman Spa City Reburied in Turkey
Discovered in 1998 and only partiallyexcavated, the nearly 2,000-year-old city of Allianoi was home to baths and natural springs favored by the Romans for their health benefits.
Today, however, the well-preserved ruins lie in the path of a proposed dam that wouldfloodthe region to create anartificialreservoir. The Yortanli Dam will provide water for thousands of acres ofagriculturalland, and farmers living near Turkey's Aegean coast strongly support the project.
Turkish officials say thatcoveringAllianoi withsandbefore the flooding will protect the site for the future, and earlier this month teams completed thereburial. But the dam project is still being ,challengedboth in thecourtsand amongconservationistsand otheropponents.
Allianoi, one of the world's oldest existing bath and spasettlements, began to disappear under the sand—onewheelbarrowat a time—in September 2010.
The decision to rebury the site, near the modern-day city of Bergama, was made in August by a localpreservationboard, and it has been hotlyprotestedbyactivistsand archaeologists.
"The method isobsoleteand it willdestroy, rather than protect, the ancient site," İlker Ertuğrul, a member of the Istanbul Chamber of Architects, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review newspaper.
Columnsrise from shallow wateramidthe ruins of Allianoi in a February 2008 photo. Romannotablesonceflockedto the city's pools, bathhouses, and other structures to enjoy the health benefits of the natural springs.
Architect Ertuğrul told the Hürriyet newspaper that covering Allianoi with sand will provide little protection from floodwaters.
The region'srelativewarm water will cause chemical reactions that will destroy metals, mosaics, and even stone walls at the site—all of which have so far beenremarkablypreserved, Ertuğrulasserted.
Some opponents of the dam believe that increased tourism might be one reason Allianoi is worth saving.
There's also thepotentialfor finding unknown treasures. By some estimates, as much as 75 percent of the site has yet to be excavated.
It's unclear how the ruins of Allianoi willfareif the dam projectproceeds. The University of Chicago's Moeller is optimistic that the city might not be destroyed by flooding, but she's not so sure about Allianoi's futureprospectsas an archaeological site.
"I think if it's covered, it could stay pretty well preserved," she said. "Obviouslywater damages things like wood or paintedfrescoesthat wouldn't survive. But the structures and other things likepotteryI think will stay.
"But once there's a dam and a lake on top, when is anyone ever going to see it or excavate it again?"
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/12/photogalleries/101229-roman-spa-city-filled-sand-allianoi-turkey-pictures/#/allianoi-turkey-city-buried-sand-overview_30703_600x450.jpg