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A R K E O L O G I S K T I D S S K R I F T
Nicolay – Nr 114 • 2011Løssalg kr 50,-
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A R K E O L O G I S K T I D S S K R I F T
Nicolay – Nr 114 • 2011Løssalg kr 50,-
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innhold Nr 114 • 2011
Utgitt av arkeologistudenter ved IAKH,Universitetet i Oslo.
Redaktør: Irmelin AxelsenRedaksjon: Hilde Melgaard, Mari Dyrstad
Hartvigsen, Jani Causevic, Jan KristianHellan, Eirik Røe, Håvard Kilhavn,Heidi Berg og Niklas Arentz Brænd
Abonnement 2011: NOK 150,- Abonnement kan tegnes ved skriftlig henvendelse til:NICOLAY-arkeologisk tidsskrift, IAKH,Postboks 1019 Blindern, 0315 OSLOEller med e-post til:abonnement@nicolaytidsskrift.no
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www.nicolaytidsskrift.no
Forsidebilde: Fritidsykkerne Erik Erland
Holmen og Øyvind Arnesen oppdager
en last med kvernsteiner
delvis skjult av sand, stein og tare i sjøen
utenfor Brekkestø ved Lillesand i 2009
(09260085) (foto: Pål Nymoen)
Axel Mjærum
En trinnøks med merker av historien –Noen detaljer om et funn fraStokke i Vestfold. 5
Camilla Wenn
A Necropolis through the Centuries –Roman and Byzantine Tombs in theEast Necropolis of Hierapolis, Turkey. 13
Inger Eggen, Stine Melvold, Per Persson
og Gaute Reitan
I Egil Mikkelsens fotspor – steinalder-undersøkelser langs en ny jernbane. 21
Johan E. Arntzen
En ”palisadehaug” fra yngre jernalderi Nord-Norge? 33
Knut Fossdal Eskeland og Jo-Simon Frøshaug Stokke
The Hellenic-Norwegian Excavations atTegea 2010: en kort oppdatering. 43
Bernt-Johnny Bertheussen
Fra felt i Finnmark – Nyregistrering avchertbrudd i Melsvik, Alta kommune. 49
Jakob Johansson
Utgrävning inom bostadshus iThem Nedre 42/1 , Tønsberg. 57
Pål Nymoen
Kun for den smarte skippers regning?Skipsvrak med omsettelig ballast:på sporet av kvernstein, kleber ogbrynehandelen fra Norge ca 800 – 1800 65
Heidi Berg og Jan Kristian HellanFelt, forskning og formidling - et intervjumed Unn Pedersen 77
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Hierapolis and the excavation project have
been thoroughly presented earlier (see e.g. Ahrens et al. 2008; Bortheim & Sund 2008,
2009; Wenn et al. 2010), suffice it here to sum
up briefly. Hierapolis was a town situated in
ancient Frygia, populated at least from the 3rd
century BC until the 13th century AD. It was
famous in Antiquity for its pagan Apollo oracle,
reknowned in the Byzantine period for the
Christian martyrion of Phillip, and well-known
then as now for the natural springs that havecovered the hillside below the ancient town
with spectacular travertine formations (see e.g.
Arthur 2006; D’Andria 2003; D’Andria et al.2008). A group of Italian universities have since
1957 conducted excavations in the ancient
town, and from 2007 the University of Oslo
has been part of the project, investigating the
East Necropolis.
The 2010 campaign – an overviewIn 2010 the Norwegian team consisted of field
director Sven Ahrens (post.doc. IAKH), assis-tant field director Camilla Cecilie Wenn
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A Necropolis through theCenturies – Roman andByzantine Tombs in the
East Necropolis ofHierapolis, Turkey
Camilla Wenn (cand. philol., UiO)
As a result of the 2008 and 2009 excavation campaigns, the Hierapolis project could last year
present rather unexpected Byzantine contexts in what was to all other purposes a Roman
tomb. One year, and one more excavation campaign has passed, and we now have a wider
grasp of the Byzantine contexts, and also know a little more about the Roman inhabitantsof Hierapolis. Previous presentations in Nicolay have focused on the challenges and methods of
excavating one tomb in particular, tomb 42 (C92). However, this tomb is not our only
research object, and thus we hope to still be able to interest the readers with the results from
other investigations in the 2009 and 2010 campaigns, as well as the progress in tomb 42.
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(cand.philol.), field assistants Eva Marie Sund
(MA) and Kjetil Bortheim (MA-student
IAKH), GIS surveyor David Hill (PhD-stu-
dent KHM), GIS assistant Linn Trude Lieng
(MA-student, IAKH), osteo-archaeologist
Helene Russ (MA), archaeologist and draughts-man Bjørn-Håkon Eketuft Rygh (cand.philol.),
conservationist Anne Håbu (KHM) and DNA
biologist Vidar Kaspersen (PhD-student,
Institute of Biology). In addition we had much
help from our six Turkish workers, Halil
Ibrahim Kacer, Akin Karademir, Hüseyin
Tahta, Mehmet Seriyildiz, Gani Bozkurt and
Ibrahim Kacer. The 2010 campaign was fun-
ded by Småforskmidler/University of Oslo,
H.R. Astrup and Stiftelsen Thomas Fearnley,
Heddy og Nils Astrup.
As in 2009, several areas were investigated
simultaneously, and the excavations continued
in the tomb complex of house tombs 42, 65
(C92a), 51 (C91) and sarcophagi 62, 63 and
64 (on the numbering of tombs, see Wenn et
al. 2010:22), both inside and outside the tombs
(fig. 1). In addition, the GIS survey of the
necropolis was completed, documenting a total
of 572 tombs, as well as other activities such asquarrying, later roads, Ottoman dwellings, fen-
ces and irrigation systems (Ahrens 2010).
Tomb 42In tomb 42, the aisle between the benches was
emptied out, and it was finally possible to assess
a certain chronology of the tomb use. The
Byzantine fill, which had been excavated
during the previous campaigns (see Wenn et al.
2010), covered several mixed contexts with
Byzantine as well as Roman finds. The bones in
these contexts were less numerous and more
deteriorated than in the Byzantine fill. In the
inner corner by the benches one context stood
out, as it contained many bones, highly frag-
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Figure 1: Map of the excavation area (drawing: Sven Ahrens, IAKH).
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mented and very soft and porous, and no
Medieval finds. The preliminary interpretation
is that it represents finds from the original use
of the tomb, which were swept from the benc-
hes some time after deposition and decomposi-
tion. Under this context and covering the enti-re aisle was a thin, virtually empty context of
sand and gravel, presumably the original floor
level of the tomb. Below there was partially cut
bedrock, and partially a near-conglomerated fill
consisting of chipped limestone.
Apart from bones, tomb 42 also provided seve-
ral interesting finds in the 2010 campaign,
both Roman and Byzantine (fig. 2). One bron-ze coin was found in the Roman context des-
cribed above, though unfortunately not
datable. Several lamp fragments and one com-
plete lamp turned up, two terracotta figurines,
and many personal effects, such as a glass sigil,
glass and amber beads, part of an ivory bracelet
and fragments of pointed bone pins (stili or aci;
writing utensils, hairpins, ornaments etc.). A
Medieval bronze cross was also found, comple-menting the two found in 2008 and 2009.
Though many of the finds were from the
Roman Imperial period, they were found in
mixed contexts, and thus could not be tied to
specific burials.
The sarcophagiTwo sarcophagi were emptied, tombs 62 and63, their inscriptions identifying them as the
tombs of Aristes and Apollonios, the daughter
and son of Eutyches who commissioned tomb
42. Tomb 62 still had the lid on, though the
corner of the lid and the sarcophagus had been
chopped off at some point. The tomb had cle-
arly been looted, but there was still a slight
hope of finding the contents at least partially insitu. With the help of a lift the lid was removed,
and the excavations could start (fig. 3). The
result, however, was disappointing, as there was
little left apart from a few fragments of bone,
pottery and glass. The most notable finds were
several large iron nails, mostly from a limited
area in the centre of the sarcophagus.
Tomb 63 was nearly full of soil when excavati-on started in 2009. The lid had at some point
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Figure 2: Various finds from the 2011 campaign (from top left to bottom right, tomb no. in parenthesis): Three amber
beads (42); fragment of ivory bracelet (42); bone stilus (42); lamp fragment (42); Gloria Exercitus coin (521);
bronze buckle (512); terracotta figurine (42) (photos: The excavation project, UiO).
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been slid off the sarcophagus, and lay partially
supported on the sarcophagus, partially on the
ground (fig. 4). The growth of lichen and othervegetation suggested that the lid had not been
in place for a very long time. The 2009 excava-
tion revealed fragmented bones, pottery and
glass, but seemingly in a mixed fill. Further
investigations confirmed this theory; whereas
the upper part may have accumulated gradual-
ly, the lower part was clearly disturbed. The fill
along the west side of the sarcophagus contai-
ned much fragmented bone, and it seemed as if the bones had been cleared away in that direc-
tion. At the very bottom four craniums were
more or less well preserved. The osteological
analysis has not yet been completed, but so farfive individuals have been identified, including
one child. The sarcophagus contained a fair
amount of pottery and glass sherds, as well as
lamp fragments datable to the 5th century AD,
a silver ring, and a coin from the reign of
Justinus II (565-578 AD) (Ahrens 2010). The
dated finds indicate activity in the 5th-6th cen-
turies, but it is at present not possible to esta-
blish whether the bones are from the originaltomb use, probably in the 2nd century AD, or
Figure 3: The lid of sarcophagus 62 removed by lift (photo: The excavation project, UiO).
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if the tomb was reused later. Neither can it be
determined whether the later finds belong to
reuse burials, or if they have ended up in the
tomb by coincidence.
Artificial terraces and tile tombsThe excavation campaigns have also seen a lot
of activity outside the tombs, as illustrated on
the map (fig. 1). East of tomb 42 the fill wasmore than 2 m thick, nearly covering house
tomb 51. The arrival of geologist Stefano
Marabini gave a new understanding to the area,
as he assessed the fill to be a man-made terrace.
While removing part of this fill around tomb
51, four tile-built tombs appeared, in various
degrees of preservation. Tomb 481, oriented
roughly N-S, consisted of two layers of tiles,
but was poorly preserved with only some few bone fragments.
Tomb 512 was also constructed from two lay-
ers of tiles and oriented N-S, but was in a bet-
ter state of preservation (fig. 5). The bones were
badly deteriorated, but parts of both femurs
and the right side of the pelvic girdle remained,
and it was possible to establish that the head
had been oriented to the south. By what must
be assumed to be the left abdomen, two buckles
were found. The ring-shaped bronze buckle canbe dated to the Early Byzantine period (fig. 2).
The iron buckle was badly corroded, but pro-
bably had an oval shape, and preserved traces of
gilding. In addition several iron nails were
found.
Tomb 521 was oriented approximately E-W,
and well constructed, with four tiles in the bot-
tom, sides made from alternating courses of brick fragments and stones, and three layers of
Figure 4: Excavation in course: Camilla C. Wenn working in sarcophagus 63 at left, and Kjetil Bortheim excavating
around the mortar structure back right (photo: Bjørn-Håkon Eketuft Rygh).
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tiles on top (fig. 6). Little was preserved inside
the tomb, only some few bone fragments, and
large iron nails. Two Gloria Exercitus coins
from c. AD 330-340 (fig. 2) were found in the
stone setting around the third top tile layer
(Ahrens 2010). Tomb 550 was not excavated.
West of the tomb complex a mortar structure
and an overturned sarcophagus lid had been
partially uncovered already in 2009, and the
investigations were continued in 2010. The
irregular mortar structure was situated in the
sloping hillside, consisting of light mortar with
stones of various sizes incorporated. In places
the bedrock was visible, and was clearly cut to
form a terrace on the axis of the foundation and
back wall of tomb 187 (C84). It is probable
that the terrain had been dressed to prepare for
the construction of more house tombs. The
upper part of the mortar structure merged into
another terrace, cut into the bedrock. A terra-
cotta pipe crossed the upper terrace and led
water to or across the mortar structure. Twofurther fragments were found from the overtur-
ned sarcophagus lid, but the fragmented potte-
ry and bone around them did not seem to be in
a tomb context (Ahrens 2010). One last con-
text should be mentioned; while levelling the
ground west of sarcophagus 63, and in front of
tomb 65/C92a, a large heap of pottery ungu-
entaria and other vases, as well as some glass
vessels were found, with preliminary dates tothe Imperial period. It is plausible that this is a
dump of grave goods taken from one of the
nearby tombs, whereof tomb 65 is a likely can-
didate.
A preliminary outline of the useof the necropolisThe 2009 and 2010 excavation campaigns have
given new aspects to the supposed Romannecropolis, and it is possible to outline a long
term use of the area. The activity in the area
may in fact predate the house tombs, which are
probably from the 2nd century AD. The ungu-
entarium found in 2009 (see Wenn et al.
2010:22) next to the lid has been dated to ca.
50 BC-AD 50 (Ahrens 2010), and may belong to a grave prior to the house tombs and sarcop-
hagi. The cuts in the bedrock between tomb
187 and the complex around tomb 42 reveal
more of the large scale planning of tombs in the
Roman necropolis. The same was also apparent
inside tomb 42, where the bedrock had been
cut to even out the ground for the tomb house.
In the case of crevices in the bedrock, these
were filled with roughly chopped limestone,
and covered with a thin layer of sand and fine
gravel. A rich variety of items from the Roman
period were found inside tomb 42 and between
tombs 65 and 63. These give some insight into
the burial customs and rites in the first use pha-
ses of the tomb, though the original setting
cannot be reconstructed. It is evident that the
people originally buried in the tombs wereequipped both with personal objects and with
vessels more probably intended for grave rites.
One burial feature found in several tombs (at
least in tombs 62, 512 and 521, and to some
extent also in tomb 42) is large iron nails. Their
position in the corners of the undisturbed tile
tombs strongly suggests that they were part of a
wooden box or coffin in which the body wasplaced. This may also have been the case for
sarcophagus 62 and for one or more burials in
tomb 42. An interesting aspect here is the time
frame. Sarcophagus 62 was looted at some
point after the original burial, but contrary to
sarcophagus 63 it does not seem to have been
reused. The nails in tomb 62 were thus proba-
bly from the original burial in the late 2nd cen-
tury AD. The tile tombs are at least two centu-ries later, and the tomb type is significantly
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different. It thus seems to have been common with nailed wooden structures for burials for
several centuries. They may have come in diffe-
rent forms, either as coffins, or as walls and
covers separating the bodies in the tombs.
The stratigraphy in the aisle of tomb 42 indi-cated that Roman burials were at some point
cleared away, and swept off the benches. After
this there seems to have been a long period of
low activity, with occasional deposition and
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Figure 5: The tile layers in tomb 512, with the finds drawn in (drawing: Sven Ahrens, IAKH).
Figure 6: The tile layers in tomb 521 (from left to right; the first three taken towards E, the last towards W):Top layers 1 and 2; top layer 2; top layer 3; bottom layer and side walls (photos: The excavation project, UiO).
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redeposition of material, before the final massi-
ve dump of bones from Byzantine burials in the
late 13th century. The reuse of tomb 42 was
however only one aspect of the area in Late
Antiquity and the Byzantine period. Already in
the 4th or 5th century the area between thetomb complex and the martyrion was terraced,
partly by filling large amounts of soil among
the previous tombs. This work was probably
contemporary with the terracing works made
for the martyrion church about 70 m further
east (Ahrens 2010), and thus shows a large-
scale planning of the area in that period, lin-
king the two areas. Judging from the finds in
the tile tombs 512 and 521 on the western edge
of these terraces, these tombs belong to the
same period. Consequently, the cemetery per-
taining to the martyrion church stretched out
widely already at this early stage.
Within two centuries after this, sarcophagus 63
was reopened. The original contents were either
partially removed, or at least rummaged
through and internally displaced, either from
looting or reuse. The Byzantine lamp fragments
and coins are not likely to be the result of loo-
ting, and may indicate reuse as a tomb, but it is
also possible that the tomb remained open
from this time, and that it was used as a rubbishdump, thus explaining the finds.
We are still far from fully understanding the
East Necropolis of Hierapolis, but the past
excavation campaigns have given us much data
with which we have been able to outline a litt-
le more detailed the beginning of the Roman
necropolis as well as its Byzantine reuse, and
the relationship to the martyrion. The 2011
campaign is in planning, and with it we hope
for further insights, which in combination with
the Thanatos: Dead bodies, live data (2010)
research project with workshops and a planned
2013 conference can be expected to further the
research both of Roman necropoleis as well as
the Early Byzantine period in the area.
L I T T E R A T U R E
Ahrens, S.2010 Hierapolis 2010. Report on theexcavations by the Institute of Archaeology,conservation, and history, University of Oslo
(Aug. 17 – Sept. 10). Digital report(http://www.hf.uio.no/iakh/english/research/projects/hierapolis/reports/hierapolis-report2010.pdf, accessed 26.2.2011).
Ahrens, S., J. R. Brandt &H. Ingvaldsen2008 Utgravninger i Tyrkia 2002-2007.Nicolay Arkeologisk Tidsskrift 105:57-65.
Arthur, Paul2006 Byzantine and Turkish Hierapolis (Pamukkale): An archaeological guide.Ege Yayinlari, Istanbul.
Bortheim, K. & E. M. Sund2008 Hierapolis 2008. Inntrykk frå norskeutgravingar i italiensk regi på tyrkisk jord.Klassisk forum 2008 (2):96-103.
2009 Norske utgravninger i Hierapolis,Tyrkia 2008. Nicolay Arkeologisk Tidsskrift 108:27-31.
D’Andria, F.2003 Hierapolis of Phrygia (Pamukkale): An archaeological guide. Ege Yayinlari, Istanbul.
D’Andria, F., G. Scardozzi &A. Spanò (eds.)2008 Hierapolis di Frigia, II: Atlante di Hierapolis di Frigia. Ege Yayinlari, Istanbul.Thanatos: Dead bodies – live data. A study of
funerary material from the Hellenistic-Roman- Byzantine town Hierapolis in Phrygia, Turkey
2010 Digital project description(http://www.hf.uio.no/iakh/english/research/projects/hierapolis/pictures/Thanatosabridgedversion100310.pdf, accessed 28.02.2010).
Wenn, C. C., E. M. Sund andK. Bortheim2010 Excavating a reused tomb – challengesand methods. Tomb 42, East Necropolis of Hierapolis, Turkey. Nicolay Arkeologisk Tidsskrift 111:19-26.