Transport Amphorae from Idyma and the Site’s Importance in Mediterranean Maritime Trade

Abstract

The amphorae recovered from excavations conducted in the ancient city of Idyma, located within the borders of the town of Akyaka in Muğla Province, align chronologically with other ceramic finds and archaeological material dated to the Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine periods. These finds provide tangible evidence of settlement continuity spanning approximately 2000 years. The amphora finds were unearthed during excavations carried out at various locations within the city. The significant finds come from the slopes of Küçük Asartepe to the north of the neighborhood of Gökova, where a temple (?) and a bouleuterion (?) were excavated in 2022. The catalog is mostly assembled from trenches at İnişdibi locality and the hilltop at Akyaka where the Idyma Castle stands along the banks of Azmak Stream. Additional amphorae were discovered in excavations on the southern slope of the Castle. The absence of amphorae postdating the Hellenistic period in the temple and Bouleuterion area suggests that in the Roman period, the hillside portion of the city was abandoned, and the population migrated to the plain. The walls of the Archaic period, located north of Idyma Castle, along with the Hellenistic-Roman ceramic and amphora finds from the southern slope, provide evidence of the site’s usage prior to its transformation into a Byzantine castle. The diminished population and economic potential of the city during the Byzantine period are evidenced by the limited number of amphorae discovered in the castle excavations.