The Sultan Tepe Site and its Surroundings in the Western Lower Bakırçay Plain

Investigating the Complex Layers of a Rural Residence in the Pergamon Micro- Region

Abstract

A rural site in the Pergamon Micro-Region, located in the western lower Bakırçay plain, has been discovered and investigated over the past two decades by two interdisciplinary research projects, involving archaeology, ancient history, geography and geophysics. Results of recent geophysical prospections and geographical analysis in combination with archaeological data from intensive and extensive surveys allow several hypotheses on the function of the site to be drafted and interpretations to be developed, even without excavations. The comprehensive analysis of magnetic anomalies, architectural elements, pottery finds and the geographical characteristics of the sites suggests different phases of occupation and use from the late Hellenistic to the Byzantine period. An extensive rural residence with an agricultural character, possibly a Roman villa, formed the key phase of the Sultan Tepe site in the western lower Bakırçay plain.