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Underwater Excavation at the Basilica Church in İznik Lake – 2019

Year 2022, Volume: 9 Issue: 2, 71 - 80, 02.06.2022
https://doi.org/10.30897/ijegeo.790313

Abstract

The remains of the basilical church lie approximately in 2 or 3 meters of depth, and 50 m from the shore of the lake, outside the city walls that surround the ancient city of Nicaea. The underwater archaeological excavations at the basilica remain are being launched under the auspices of the Iznik Archaeology Museum with the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2015.
In 2019, excavation was carried out in the atrium where we thought a water well was situated. This is because the British pilgrim, Willibald, pointed out that the site of the 1st Council had a rectangular open-roofed courtyard with a sacred source of oil in the middle. Although we went down 60 cm deeper than the foundation walls, we could not find the bottom of the well. However, a large number of ceramics, glass bracelets, or Scyphate coins (cup-shaped coins) were found indicating the 13th century. It was also found that the well was filled with stone. Therefore, we think that the structure was definitely abandoned in the approximately 12th century and then sank into the lake waters.

References

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  • Benjelloun, Y., (2017). “The Middle Strand of the North Anatolian Fault in Iznik Region : Insights from Geomorphology and Archeoseismology (Dr. thesis). Université Grenoble Alpes. Retrieved from https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01952234
  • Covel, J., (1998). Voyages en Turquie 1675–1677, Jean Pierre Grélois (ed.). Paris.
  • Davis, L. D., (1990). The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325–787): Their History and Theology, Theology and Life Series 21. Minnesota.
  • DOC IV (1999). M. F. Hendy, Catalogue of the Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection, Volume 4.2, Alexius I to Alexius V, 1081–1204. Washington D.C.
  • İnanan, F., (2014). “Sinop Balatlar Kilisesi Kazısı Sırlı Bizans Seramik Buluntularının Ön Değerlendirmesi / An Assessment for the Byzantine Pottery From the Excavation of Balatlar Church, Sinop, Turkey”, TÜBA-AR, Türkiye Bilimler Akademisi Arkeoloji Dergisi / Turkish Academy of Sciences Journal of Archaeology 15-2012, 2014, 147- 160.
  • Laborde, L., (1838). Voyage de l'Asie Mineure. Paris.
  • Mango, C., (2004). “Birinci Ökümenik Konsil'in Toplandığı Yer ve Kutsal Pederler Kilisesi”, I. Akbaygil, H. İnalcık, O. Aslanapa (eds.), Tarih Boyunca İznik (pp. 305-313). İstanbul 2004.
  • Michael, A., Attaleiatēs, M., (2012). The History 16. Harvard.
  • Papanikola-Bakirtzis, D. (ed.), (1999). Byzantine Glazed Ceramics, Art of Sgrafitto. Athens.
  • Powell, E. A., (2015). “Sunken Byzantine Basilica”, Archaeology 2015, 27.
  • RIC VII, (1966). Sutherland, C.H.V., Carson, R.A.G., Roman Imperial Coinage Volume VII, Constantine and Licinius AD 313-337. London.
  • Şahin, M., (2014). “İznik Gölü’ndeki Batık Kilise: Deprem Kurbanı Aziz Neophytos”, Aktüel Arkeoloji 38, Nisan 2014, 8-10.
  • Şahin, M., (2015). “İznik Gölü Bazilika Kalıntısı Sualtı Yüzey Araştırması”, TİNA Denizcilik Arkeoloji Dergisi 4, 2015, 33–51.
  • Şahin, M., Fairchild, M.R., (2018). Nicea’s Underwater Basilica”, BAR 44.6, 2018, 30–38.
  • Veth, W. J. G. A., (2002). The Frescoes of the Ecumenical Councils in the Sistine Salon (1590) and the Catholic Conciliar Historiography (Th. D. thesis), Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Rom 2003). in: Annuarium Historiae Conciliorum 34. 2002, 209–455.
  • Yıldırım, F., (2014). 14. Yüzyıldan Cumhuriyet Dönemi’ne Kadar Yabancı Seyyahların Gözünden Bursa İlindeki Mimari Eserler. Bursa.
Year 2022, Volume: 9 Issue: 2, 71 - 80, 02.06.2022
https://doi.org/10.30897/ijegeo.790313

Abstract

References

  • Ambraseys, N., (2009). Earthquakes in the Mediterranean and Middle East: A Multidisciplinary Study of Seismicity up to 1900. Cambridge.
  • Benjelloun, Y., (2017). “The Middle Strand of the North Anatolian Fault in Iznik Region : Insights from Geomorphology and Archeoseismology (Dr. thesis). Université Grenoble Alpes. Retrieved from https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01952234
  • Covel, J., (1998). Voyages en Turquie 1675–1677, Jean Pierre Grélois (ed.). Paris.
  • Davis, L. D., (1990). The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325–787): Their History and Theology, Theology and Life Series 21. Minnesota.
  • DOC IV (1999). M. F. Hendy, Catalogue of the Byzantine Coins in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection and in the Whittemore Collection, Volume 4.2, Alexius I to Alexius V, 1081–1204. Washington D.C.
  • İnanan, F., (2014). “Sinop Balatlar Kilisesi Kazısı Sırlı Bizans Seramik Buluntularının Ön Değerlendirmesi / An Assessment for the Byzantine Pottery From the Excavation of Balatlar Church, Sinop, Turkey”, TÜBA-AR, Türkiye Bilimler Akademisi Arkeoloji Dergisi / Turkish Academy of Sciences Journal of Archaeology 15-2012, 2014, 147- 160.
  • Laborde, L., (1838). Voyage de l'Asie Mineure. Paris.
  • Mango, C., (2004). “Birinci Ökümenik Konsil'in Toplandığı Yer ve Kutsal Pederler Kilisesi”, I. Akbaygil, H. İnalcık, O. Aslanapa (eds.), Tarih Boyunca İznik (pp. 305-313). İstanbul 2004.
  • Michael, A., Attaleiatēs, M., (2012). The History 16. Harvard.
  • Papanikola-Bakirtzis, D. (ed.), (1999). Byzantine Glazed Ceramics, Art of Sgrafitto. Athens.
  • Powell, E. A., (2015). “Sunken Byzantine Basilica”, Archaeology 2015, 27.
  • RIC VII, (1966). Sutherland, C.H.V., Carson, R.A.G., Roman Imperial Coinage Volume VII, Constantine and Licinius AD 313-337. London.
  • Şahin, M., (2014). “İznik Gölü’ndeki Batık Kilise: Deprem Kurbanı Aziz Neophytos”, Aktüel Arkeoloji 38, Nisan 2014, 8-10.
  • Şahin, M., (2015). “İznik Gölü Bazilika Kalıntısı Sualtı Yüzey Araştırması”, TİNA Denizcilik Arkeoloji Dergisi 4, 2015, 33–51.
  • Şahin, M., Fairchild, M.R., (2018). Nicea’s Underwater Basilica”, BAR 44.6, 2018, 30–38.
  • Veth, W. J. G. A., (2002). The Frescoes of the Ecumenical Councils in the Sistine Salon (1590) and the Catholic Conciliar Historiography (Th. D. thesis), Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Rom 2003). in: Annuarium Historiae Conciliorum 34. 2002, 209–455.
  • Yıldırım, F., (2014). 14. Yüzyıldan Cumhuriyet Dönemi’ne Kadar Yabancı Seyyahların Gözünden Bursa İlindeki Mimari Eserler. Bursa.
There are 17 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Human Geography
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

Mustafa Şahin 0000-0001-5153-1918

Publication Date June 2, 2022
Published in Issue Year 2022 Volume: 9 Issue: 2

Cite

APA Şahin, M. (2022). Underwater Excavation at the Basilica Church in İznik Lake – 2019. International Journal of Environment and Geoinformatics, 9(2), 71-80. https://doi.org/10.30897/ijegeo.790313