The northeast building at the Acropolis of Larisa (Buruncuk)

This study focuses on the Northeast Building located on the Acropolis of Larisa (Buruncuk), one of the ancient cities of the Aeolis region. The building was discovered during the excavations carried out in 1934 and was reexamined in 2017 as a part of the Larisa Survey. The data obtained from these two studies are evaluated in this research. The first part of this thesis study presents the subject of Larisa's settlement history and its research background. According to Homer, the local people of Larisa were Pelasgians. In modern interpretations, ¨Pelasgian¨ is thought to be the name given by the Ancient Greeks to those who lived in Anatolia, Greece and the Aegean islands before themselves. Homer states that Larisa was one of the 12 Aeolian cities in western Anatolia and that the Aeolians had emigrated there from the Greek mainland. However, modern researches and ancient sources have different opinions on the region from which the Aeolians migrated. As a result of the excavations in Larisa, it is estimated that the city foundation date was around 800 BC. In western Anatolia, Cimmerian invasions started at the beginning of the 7th century BC. By 605 BC, Alyattes, King of Lydia, had taken control of the region banishing the Cimmerian tribes. By 546 BC, Cyrus (King of the Achaemenid Empire) had defeated Croesus (King of the Lydian Empire) and had secured his control over the Aegean coast of Asia Minor. According to Xenophon, Cyrus placed his Egyptian mercenary in Larisa, and for this reason, the city was known as the "Egyptian Larisa". In the second half of the 5th century BC, the city was invaded by the Athenians, and during this attack some of the buildings on the Acropolis, such as the temple and the stoa, were destroyed. The destroyed structures were rebuilt by the Athenians and new structures such as propylon and Northeast Building were added in this period. Between 399 and 386 BC, there were wars between the Persians and Spartans. According to Xenophon, Larisa was besieged by the Spartans who were unable to conquer it during these wars. There were no wars between 386 and 334 BC and during this period there was an intensive construction activity in Larisa. The Aeolian cities agreed to the sovereignty of Alexander the Great who entered Anatolia in 334 BC and the region became a part of the Kingdom of Pergamon after the collapse of Alexander's empire. In 279 BC the Galatians destroyed Larisa and after that date, the city was abandoned. The Acropolis of Larisa was surrounded by walls in ca 500 BC. After this wall was demolished at the beginning of the 4th century BC, the area it surrounded was expanded and rebuilt. The earliest dated structure on the acropolis is called the "Oldest Palace" which is dated to the second quarter of the 6th century BC and is located in south of the acropolis. A new building called the "Old Palace" was built on top of this palace around 550 BC. At the end of the 6th century BC, a north-south oriented Megaron was built to the west of the Old Palace. In the 5th century BC new spaces with columns in the east, west and south of the courtyard in front of the Megaron were added. With these additions the Megaron became a courtyard structure. The "New Palace" was built to the north of the acropolis around 350 BC. There is a necropolis on the hill where the city is located, to the east of the acropolis, mainly on the north slope. About 100 tombs, most of which are tumuli, have been identified here. The use of necropolis seems to be more intense in the 6th century BC. The first archaeological excavations at Larisa began in 1902. It was excavated between 1902 and 1904. In 1932, a second excavation campaign was conducted as a continuation of the earlier work of 1902. The excavations at Larisa were carried out as a Swedish-German collaboration. Information obtained from these excavations can be found in a three-volume publication titled Larisa am Hermos, which was published between 1940 and 1942. Since 2010, an architectural field survey has been proceeding in Larisa under the direction Prof. Dr. Turgut Saner (ITU). In the first volume of Larisa am Hermos, mostly about architectural finds, the chapter on the Northeast Building was written by Heinz Johannes. In this chapter the building was named "Quercella" and was described as being composed of two parts; a main room with a longitudinally rectangular plan and a portico. To the right of the main room was a bench - 15 cm high, 58 cm wide. On the right side of the entrance there was a water channel between the main room and the portico. The main room was stone-paved leaving the middle empty. It was believed that the floor was covered with water-resistant plaster. The portico was thought to be an open entrance with four columns between the ante walls. In Larisa am Hermos the Northeast Building was compared to the Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore in Priene, the Kabireion in Delos and the Asclepeion in Troezen; as a result of which, it was deduced that the Northeast Building was a Kabeiroi temple. Rudolf Naumann was of the opinion that the portico, which was not columnar, was enclosed with a wall. He thought that there was a water channel leading out of the portico. Naumann also thought that it was a feasting building. During the 2017 field surveys, the Northeast Building was measured and photographed. Only half of the building plan had been printed in Larisa am Hermos. In this study, the plan has been drawn in its entirety and previous inferences about the building have been examined. In this paper, the current studies on the temples have been examined in the view of the Northeast Building being a Temple of Kabeiroi. It seems that the Demeter and Kore Temple in Priene did not have such a plan in any phase as was put forth in the Larisa am Hermos publication. The plan of Delos-Kabireion and its measurements were the most similar among the compared temples. Thanks to the inscriptions found there, the building could actually be identified. In recent studies it has been suggested that the Kabireion served as a place where organized banquets were held for rituals. The temple at Troezen, is not in a good state of preservation. However, it is thought that its plan was similar to that of Kabireion. The idea that the Northeast Building was a banquet room was first proposed by Naumann in 1942 and this suggestion was repeated in articles written by Schefold in 1978, 1983. However, the Northeast Building was not compared with any feasting structures in these articles. In this study, banquet buildings with plans similar to that of the Northeast Building have been investigated. The architectural features of the Hestiatorions at Perachora, Delphi Marmaria and Megara Hyblaea have been explained due to the similarity of their plan to the Northeast Building. In the second part of the study, artifacts found in places related to the cult of the Kabeiroi and in banquet buildings were researched. In this context, firstly the gods and rituals known as the ¨Kabeiroi¨ were discussed; then, artifacts related to these gods were compiled. Bronze bull figurines and black figure ornamental potteries called ¨the Kabiroi group¨ are the most common artifacts of this cult. In addition, the descriptions on the coins related to the Kabeiroi cult were compiled. It has been discussed whether there were any finds among the artifacts in Larisa that could be associated with the Kabeiroi. In Larisa, there are terracotta bull protomes but these are not related to the Kabeiroi cult. One of the other important artifacts in relation with Kabeiroi is black figure pottery, especially skyphoi and kantharoi. These cup shapes are also encountered in Larissa, but they do not have that type of decoration. In light of the present data there is no evidence that there was a Kabeiroi cult in Larisa. Pottery shapes known to be related to feasting were also researched in this study. In this context, pots found in the Sanctuary of Demeter and Kore at Korinth whose full sizes could be determined were examined. Among the shapes compared with Larisa's finds there are skyphoi, kantharoi, kotylia, kraters, oinokhoai, hydriai and kylixes. It has been determined that there are pots of similar sizes at Larisa that could have been used in banquets but a link could not be created between them and the Northeast Building due to the lack of context. It was not possible to explain the function of the building with artifacts. Buildings with similar plans but different functions to the Northeast Building were researched. Accordingly, the Arrephorion on the Athenian Acropolis and a building at Thassos-Aliki were included in the study. The Arrephorion was a building for the Arrephoroi who served in the cult of Athena, who descended from the Acropolis carrying chests above their heads. There is a scene on the Parthenon friezes about them. This building is related to the rituals in Athens and there hasn't been encountered a similar building anywhere. The building in Aliki has a hearth in the northern room. In the south room the walls are plastered. There are two different ideas about the building being either a temple dedicated to Apollo or a banquet building. However, in contrast to the general design of banquet buildings there are no kline remains in neither of the rooms. The exact function of the building could not be understood. In the last part of the study, places with architectural remains associated with the Kabeiroi cult have been examined. It is discussed whether the Sanctuary of Kabeiroi at Lemnos, Thebai and Samothrake were structures with plans similar to that of the Northeast Building. However, such a structure could not be encountered. The features of the Northeast Building and banquet buildings were compared. The Northeast Building is partly stone-paved and there are draining channels similar to those in the banquet buildings. A bench was built on the inside of all walls in the banquet buildings. However, in the Northeast Building the bench is on only one side. Moreover, the benches of the banquet buildings are wider than the bench at the Northeast Building due to the kline's size. Also, water-resistant paving can be seen everywhere in the banquet buildings. In addition, when a kline is placed inside the Northeast Building, there is incompatibility in the interior design. Due to these reasons it cannot be said definitively that it was used for banquets. It is thought that the Northeast Building was related to the temple due to its location and direction. It may have been an oikos serving the temple, or taking into consideration some common features it may have been used for banquets. However, it is not possible to exactly understand the function of the structure from the existing data. This thesis study aims to develop an idea about the function of this building at Larisa in light of recent studies and in the context of structures whose main rooms have a longitudinally rectangular plan.