SOMA 2007

Proceedings of the XI Symposium

on Mediterranean Archaeology,
Istanbul Technical University,
24-29 April 2007

Edited by

Çiğdem Özkan Aygün

BAR International Series 1900

2009
This title published by

Archaeopress
Publishers of British Archaeological Reports
Gordon House
276 Banbury Road
Oxford OX2 7ED
England
bar@archaeopress.com
www.archaeopress.com

BAR S1900

SOMA 2007: Proceedings of the XI Symposium on Mediterranean Archaeology, Istanbul Technical

University, 24 and 29 April 2007

© the individual authors 2009

ISBN 978 1 4073 0382 6

Printed in England by Blenheim Colour Ltd

All BAR titles are available from:

Hadrian Books Ltd

122 Banbury Road
Oxford
OX2 7BP
England
bar@hadrianbooks.co.uk

The current BAR catalogue with details of all titles in print, prices and means of payment is available
free from Hadrian Books or may be downloaded from www.archaeopress.com
 An unknown bath-gymnasium at Kithanaura
H. Onur Tibikoğlu and Emrah Akalin*
Research Assistants, University of Akdeniz, Department of Archaeology, Antalya-Turkey.
hsnonur@rhodiapolis.com, emrahakalin@hotmail.com
Kithanaura is located near Saraycık. It can be found 44
km westwards along the main Antalya-Kemer road, and
then 6 km down the forest track to the right (Fig. 1).
Many researches1 have been conducted in this city,
discovered by Spratt and Forbes2 during their research in
this area in the middle of the 19th century. Most research
has been concerned with epigraphic remains. The name
of this settlement was first recognized from a coin
carrying the “Kita” legend, found by C. Lightfoot-M.
Arslan-C. Tibet,3 then Nolle4 located this city, which was
famous for its Heroon as Saraycık, called Kithanaura
according to the information recorded in the Miliarium
Lyciae, and from the coin find. Comprehensive official
archaeological research was first undertaken by the Bey
Dağları Surface Surveys in 2004 with a team lead by
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Çevik.5 These researches are
periodically continuing with this same team. The studies
of this city will be completed in the 2007 season. And all
of the famous buildings and remains, the heroon, other
buildings and inscriptions will have been published by
the team.
The city is called Kithanaura of Termessos in the
Miliarium Lyciae.6 This shows the city was under the
hegemony of Termessos in the Ist century B.C. The city
has strategic importance due to its geographic location
upon the routes leading to Attaleia by way of the Alakır
and Çandır valleys.
The city is spread over a high rocky hill and its slopes
(Fig. 2). The hill with the acropolis surrounded by city
walls is very steep in the north and the west; but slopes
less steeply towards the south. Consequently, while there
is a city wall system on the south side, the steepness of
the north and west sides, meant there were no need build
a city wall system on these steep sides. The Acropolis is
provided with three entrances with the southwest gate in
the city walls being the main entrance.7
*Thanks to T. M. P. Duggan for staightening out the English translation.
1
For more information, see Ritter 1859: 766; Petersen-Luschan 1889:
150.
2
Sprat – Forbes 1847: 174 ff.
3
Aslan-Ligthtfoot-Tibet 1998: 7-8.
4
Nolle 1996: 7-29.
5
Çevik et al. 2005: 144-145. Our thanks to Prof. Dr. N. Çevik head of
the Bey Dağları Survey team for the permission to publish this material
and for his assistance.
6
Işık-İşkan-Çevik 2001: 39.
7
For the first detailed publication of the archaeological ruins of the city,
see. N. Çevik, “Kithanaura: Doğu Likya’da Bir Kent”, Haluk
Abbasoğlu Armağan Kitabı 2008 (in press).
374
The Bathhouse is located at the foot of the stepped road
leading towards the acropolis8 (Fig. 2). The Bathhouse is
the last public building on the west side of the acropolis.
The location of the bathhouse is at a confluence of routes,
consequently indicating the conscious planning of the
public buildings of the city. At the same time this road is
a long-distance route used by visitors to the city. The
street which is lined by various tombs on both sides,
leads towards the north, passing by the west side of the
bathhouse.
The highest quality building of this bath-gymnasium
complex is orientated in a North-South direction.
Although a ruin, this seven sectioned building’s plan has
been recorded (Fig. 3,4.). The building begins with the
Palaestra on its north side and continues with the bathing
sections arranged in rows.
The first room is the rectangular planned Palaestra (I)
which lies on the East-West side, next to the Bathhouse,
on the right hand side of the main road that leads to the
acropolis (Fig. 3). It measures 26.20 m. by 6.00 m. The
walls which determine the borders of this area in the east
and west have collapsed. The entrance to this area is
provided by the 1.00 m wide doorway on the north side.
The remains belonging to this gate remain in situ. The
lack of data without an excavation means we are unable
to fully understand the plan and the structure of the
Palaestra. The Palaestra opens to entrance hall II by way
of a doorway in the west side of the south wall. This is
the entrance room to the Baths. This section forms a 66
m² closed area and measures 14.20 m. by 6.50 m. This
area is situated perpendicular in a North-South direction
of the width of section III. Because of the antique road
passing by and the modern way passing over this road, its
walls have collapsed. Whereas smoothly cut limestone
blocks are used in the construction of the sides that face
the ancient road, rubble stone was employed for the
interior walls. The place of this section within the general
plan clearly defines its function. It provided passage into
the bathing sections of the bath house complex.
The service section directs the bath traffic to section III
(Fig. 5,a,b,c.). The entrance doorway providing access
has collapsed together with the west wall. The west, north
and south walls have collapsed but the east wall remains
standing. This section of the bath house is the largest and
contains the highest quality building material employed
in the construction of the bath house. The structure and its
location indicate it served two functions, as a Frigidarium
8
For the first reporting of this Baths see. Çevik et al. 2005: 144-145.

cum Apoditerium. It measures approximately 17.00 m. by
8.50 m. and covers an area of 140 m². The long walls on
both sides are supported by 4 monumental arches having
a width of 4.50 m. and a height of 2.20 m. and these
arches supported the roofing erected over this wide area,
evidence for this roofing was not found. All of the arches
remain standing except for the arches on the North West
side and, on the south side only the one on the east
remains standing. These arches stand on profiled bases.
All the bases remain in situ and are largely beneath the
ground. The inner sides of the arches have niches with a
depth of 1.65 m. The quality of the material and the high
quality of the workmanship employed are attractive. On
the surface of the limestone blocks which constitute the
arches are a series of 4 carved profiles, decreasing in size
from top to bottom to be observed along the curvature of
each arch (Fig. 5c). On top of these arches are two
courses of hewn stone blocks that extend out over the
profile of the arch a distance of 0.10 m. Under these
blocks the spaces between the arches are filled with
mortar and rubble stones. The roof cover must have been
a vault orientated in an East-West direction. Directly
opposite the entrance there is a postament for a statue
measuring 1.10 m. by 0.70 m. leaning to one side in front
of the east wall. On the front of this postament there is a
relief carving of two ribbons side by side. Under this
relief there is inscribed -ΑΝΤΙΝΟΩ ΕΠΙΦΑΝΕΙ- already
published.
The entrance to the narrower and shorter section IV from
section III is through a doorway as expected in the south
wall. This section IV measures 14.50 m. by 5.20 m. and
covers an area of 55m², understood to be the continuation
of the Frigidarium (Fig. 7). This rectangular area has an
apse at its east end. The section with the apse most
probably contained a cold water pool. This pool was
entered by a flight of steps descending from the floor
level in section IV. Both plaster and fresco remains
survive in situ on the walls of the apse. The water supply
would have been provided via the channel measuring
0.85 m to 0.40 m located on the south wall. There is a
1.20 m. wide window opening in the west wall.
The entrance into section V of the bath house is provided
by a 0.90 m. wide doorway in the south wall of section
IV. Section V measures 9.60 m. by 9.40 m. and covers an
area of 56 m² and was the tepidarium (Fig 3, 4). Dense
infilling and the thick plant cover rendered the recording
of the details of this area quite impossible. The west wall
that overlooks the road remains standing. This wall built
in isodomic technique from limestone blocks with
bossage determines the west border of section VI lying to
the south (Fig. 6, 9). A line of blocks that extends over
the wall surface with its profiled structure continues
along the wall, forming the sill level of the window
spaces. The 0.90 m. wide doorway located near the
western edge of the south wall provides entrance into
section VI.
The section VI is the last section of the baths in the south
(Fig. 3, 4, 6). Its dense filling prevented the acquisition of
any information concerning the inner arrangement of this
375
AN UNKNOWN BATH-GYMNASIUM AT KITHANAURA
space. However this section surely functioned as the
caldarium given its small size and its position within the
bathhouse plan. It covers an area of about 50 m2. Its west
and its south walls are apsidal. These apses can be
understood to function as the places where the hot water
bathtubs were located. Further data related to this
structure could not be obtained. The quality masonry
work of the side wall continues in the west and south
walls. Window sills and doorways are to be found in the
middle of the west and south apses. The south wall
continues straight after the apse.
In the east there is a square planned section next to
section VI which is not on the same axis as the bathing
sections. No doorway or entrance could be found that
provided access from section VI into section VII (Fig. 3).
The entrance to this section is provided by a 1.40 m.
width doorway in the south side wall. Although the walls
of this section that cover a roofed area of 48 m2 have
collapsed, they remain in situ. The structural features
described, its location and especially the independent
doorway from outside, indicate this section functioned as
the furnace and firewood depot.
A terrace wall orientated in a North-South direction lies
3.00 m. east of the bath house. This wall extends over
10.00 m. and that which is visible was built from rubble
stone. This wall was built in order to obstruct the runoff
of rainwater that pours down the north slope, and this
wall would have extended along the entire side of the
bath house to protect it.
Related to the water supply of the bath, the remains of a
wall that leads to the bath straight over the hill on the
west side of the forest way was found (Fig. 8). The
blocks are huge and have irregular cutting work. This
straight wall isn’t related to any known building and must
surely belong to the aqueduct leading to the bath. Despite
the fact that the connection between this wall and the
bathhouse cannot be seen due to the forest way,
investigations indicate the Palaestra was connected with
the south wall. This suggests this wall-like structure is the
remains of an aqueduct that provided the water to the
bath house. Further, in all other directions around the bath
house, there are neither any possible remains nor is there
the suitable topography for an aqueduct as, on the east
side of the complex there is an upward slope leading to
the acropolis, on the south side is a steep slope and on the
north side there is the inclined slope of the acropolis and
there are no water sources to be found in these directions
sufficient to supply this bath house. So it seems sensible
to suggest this long wall which comes from possible
springs in the west was the aqueduct supplying water to
the bath house.
The above conclusions are drawn from the data we
obtained in the course of our research. Despite these
building remains providing sufficient information to
record a general plan, the collapse of separation walls, the
sections that contain a thick infilling and our consequent
inability to observe much of the inner architectural
appearance of parts of this building during our surface
SOMA 2007
survey, made a detailed technical evaluation of the
interior of the bathhouse impossible.
Evaluation
This bathhouse was erected with the same high quality
work seen on other important civic buildings in the city.
This level of workmanship is surprising for a middle
sized city in mountainous Lycia at this distance from the
coast. It’s estimated to display a modest structure as a
medium sized settlement. Yet the settlement of
Kithanaura as an important haunt on the way to Attelia,
leads it to have high qualified consructions for era’s. In
North-East Lycia, in the last Lycian city, Trebenna, the
bath house discovered by N. Çevik can be compared with
this, an another example of high quality work in a bath
house in an middle sized Lycian city.9 Regarding
important factors such as the city traffic, the location and
source of spring waters, the topographic structure, and the
direction of the sunlight at the location that was selected
for the erection of the bath house within the town panning
for baths in Lycian settlements, there was an established
tradition in these respects that is valid for also
Kithanaura. Although the orientation of Lycian
Bathhouse. structures vary, there is usually a tendency to
South and South-West10 in urbans where there are no
difficulties in clearing the land for construction - enough
financial supplies, convenient topographical structure and
etc.-.
Whereas the Kithanaura Bath. is settled towards West.
While the main road streches out on west, there are’nt
any topographic structures to block the daylight. The west
side of the bathhouse is facing acropolis hillside without
any scene. It is natural on this side to experience lack of
window openings.
This Bath house has a closed area of 700 m². It therefore
has a larger size than many city baths. For example,
Patara’s Central bathhouse is of 315 m² and Xanthos’s
South bathhouse is of 295 m².11 While evaluating Lycian
bath houses, the size, but also the workmanship and the
quality of the materials employed are important and there
is no standard size for a bath house. Both the population
of the city and the number of people that may come to it
on occasion from outside the city determined the size of
the bathhouse that was erected.
The isodomic system of dressed stone blocks forming the
west and south walls that remain standing show unique
workmanship. Blocks with bossage are also found in the
north side wall of the Antonius Pius bathhouse at
Cyaneae12 and the polygonal blocks of the south side wall
of the Little Bath house at Patara.13 But closest in wall
building technique and in the use of the bossage block
9
Çevik – Varkıvanç 2004: 223–50.
10
For orientation of the Lycian Bathhouse see Farrington 1995: 7 – 13.
11
Farrington 1995: 11, table 2.
12
Farrington 1995: 54 -152, fig. 124.
13
Farrington 1995: 53–60, fig. 19, 128, 129, cat. nr. 39 ; Işık 2000: 125-
127.
376
form to Kithanaura is on the north side of the Vespasian
Bathhouse at Patara.14 For the arches and the arch
footings and the beginning of the dividing walls that
separate the sections from each other, smooth cut stones
are used and it is understood that this is of local
workmanship, employing the local Kithanauran stone.
But the plan is a similar variation of the common and
known type in this region.
The Kithanaura Bathhouse is of the type known as the
Lycian bathhouse type and there are many other
examples of this type. The bathing sections are side by
side and circulation route is single. There is a retroactive
bathing traffic. Section III, the Frigidarium cum
Apoditerium has a 140 m² closed area, and its area
comprise nearly the sum of all the closed areas of the
other bathing sections, about 160 m². This section is the
prestige hall of the bath house with its high quality
structure and its sculpture base. The confrontation of
various apsidal arrangements is frequent in most of the
baths of this region.15 The apsidal arrangements are
founded as usually covering one portion of a short side or
among the whole. However in Kithanaura we are faced
with a different form. West side of Caldarium totaly, and
greater part of the South are made vivacious by abscisses.
While broadening the space, abscisses ensure a frontal
architecture by letting optimum benefit from the daylight.
Another sample of the twin apsidal arrangement from the
region is Arykanda; found on the North and West sides of
the location room 7 in the South bath.16
With this bathhouse we add a significant example to the
known Roman bath-gymnasium in the region and we
have attempted an explanation of the bath architecture. In
addition, we provided certain information concerning the
nature of the town planning at Kithanaura in the Roman
period.
Bibliography
Aslan-Ligthtfoot-Tibet Aslan, M. Ligthtfoot, C. Tibet,
C. (1998) Numismatic Circular. A Group of Unknown
1998 Coins in Antalya Museum, CVI/1, 7.
Baybutluoğlu C. (1983) Arykanda Kazıları 1982. KST IV,
277 – 284.
Çevik – Varkıvanç, Çevik, N., Varkıvanç, B. (2004) An
Evaluation of the Roman Rural Baths of Lycia
Light of Two New Examples from Trebenna and
Typallia, Adalya, VII, 223-50.
Çevik N., Varkıvanç, B., Bulut, S., Kızgut İ., Akyürek E.,
Pigmouet Pedarros, I. (2006) Bey
Dağları Yüzey Araştırmaları 2004, XXIII. AST I. 141-
154.
Farrington, A. (1995) The Roman Baths of Lycia: An
Architectural Study, The British Institute of
Archaeology at Ankara, 20, Oxford.
14
Farrington 1995: 156 ff., fig. 17, cat. nr. 38.
15
Farrington 1995: 3-4; Yegül 1994: 218-284.
16
Bayburtluoğlu 1982: 277-282; Farrington 1995:
 AN UNKNOWN BATH-GYMNASIUM AT KITHANAURA

Işık, F. (2000) Patara, The History and Ruins of the

Capital City of Lycian League, Antalya. Petersen-Luschan, Petersen, E. and v.Luschan, F. (1889)
Işık-İşkan-Çevik, Işık, F., İşkan, H., Çevik N., Miliarium Reisen in Lykien, Milyas und Kibyratis, Wien,
Lyciae: Patara Yol Kılavuz Anıtı / Das Reisen im südwestlichen Kleinasien II.
Wegweisermonument von Patara, Eds. İşkan, H., Işık, Ritter, C. (1859) Die Erdkunde im Verhaltnis zur Natur
F., Lykai, IV, 2001. und zur Geschichte des Menschen usw. Theil : Klein-
Nolle, J. (1996), Münzen und Geschichte einer kleinen Asien, Band II.
Stadt in den ostlykischen. Kithanaura, Sprat – Forbes, Spratt, T. A. B. and Forbes, E. (1847)
Jahrbuch für Numismatik und Geldgeschıchte, 46, 7- Travels in Lycia, Milyas and the Cibyratis I- II,
29. London.
Yegül, F. (1994) Antik Çağ’da Hamamlar ve Yıkanma.
2006 Istanbul, Homer.

Fig. 1- Routes According to

Fig. 2 – The Acropolis of Kithanaura,
The Miliarium Lyciae.

Fig. 3 - The Plan of Kithanaura Bathhouse.

377
SOMA 2007

Fig. 4 – The Elevation AA.

.
5a. The view of north interior wall. 5b. The view of south interior wall.

5c. The Elevation BB.

Fig. 5 – The Frigidarium cum Apoditerium (III).

378
 AN UNKNOWN BATH-GYMNASIUM AT KITHANAURA

Fig. 6 - Exterior Facade Walls (West and South).

Fig. 7 – Section IV. Fig. 8 - The remains of water supply.

Fig. 9 – West Facade of the Bathhouse. Fig. 10 – The Apsis on SE.

379