International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

Diego Peirano 
Turin, Italy; 
[e-mail]
Carian Iasos in Byzantine Age
Placed inside one of the deep inlets indenting the Carian Coast, Iasos had two ports and based 
his ancient economy on olive oil and wine production, fishing and the manufacturing of columns 
made of local marble.
Since the 4
th
century B.C. the city had a defensive wall circuit enclosing the peninsula and part of 
the mainland; this course was modified in the late antiquity with the inclusion of the north quarters.
The ancient city experienced an initial moment of crisis with the agora’s porticoes fall in the 3
rd
century: later, some habitations were built into north stoa, respecting the original alignments and 
conserving the pavement of the portico. 
In the 5
th
century, a new city begins to grow: the Christian polis; his first center seems an extra-
mural basilica with necropolis placed near the eastern port. 
At the time this area seemed very vital: near the basilica the quadriporticus of a mausoleum 
of the 2
nd
century A.D. was transformed into a sawmill using the water of nearby aqueduct. Here 
were found many marble blocks, showing saw traces, abandoned over thick emery layers. The 
crosses scratched on the blocks attested that the people who worked here were Christians. Since 
the attestations of Iasian sawn marble began in the 6
th
century, it seems that tomb’s transformation 
take place at that time. The water powered stone saw used aqueduct water, so it is possible that both 
quarries and workshop were fiscal property. Besides, a sledge road between the quarry of Karaoğlan 
Deresi and the below port was found; in some parts it splits up into two tracks with different levels, 
in order to facilitate the passages of men, animals and handcarts.
Between the end of the 5
th
century and the Justinian’s era two basilicas were built with reused 
materials in areas subject to transformation: one on the acropolis, one in the former agora. This last 
was transformed into a residential and productive area with furnaces; even if the porticoes were 
fallen, his monumental entrance, the dipylon, was still in use.
The area of the temple stoas near the agora was subject to systematic spoliation during 
Byzantine period; the marble columns were smashed with sledgehammers and wedges to obtain 
new building material or lime.
After the 7
th
century the coin circulation stopped and resumed in 9-10
th
centuries.

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556
Between 8
th
-11
th
centuries the acropolis and agora basilica were rebuilt in smaller shapes; 
around them two necropolis began to spread.
In the 11
th
century the fortification system was renewed with the construction of the isthmus 
castle between the two ports; the castle had a ditch toward the former agora, now residential and 
productive area. After the construction of the castle the outer space was kept unbuilt.
It seems that in the same period it was built the tower that closed the east jetty of the west harbor.
In the late Byzantine period, near the east harbor was built the so-called “Lascarid church”. 
The fortification of the city continued in the 14
th
century with the building of the acropolis 
castle. The citadel, that included reused materials, had towers with various sections and without 
access from inside the castle, but only from the upper walkways. Some of the towers were provided 
with fireplaces. 
In Iasos the Byzantine times seem to conclude with the excavation of mass graves for the inhumation 
of many individuals, maybe died in a plague; it cannot be a case that these were found around the 
Lascarid church, outside the city and near a port, from where usually this kind of diseases came.