Ethno-architectural analysis of the ancient city of Patara

Architectural structures that form a large part of the material culture produced by humans in the past in archaeological settlements are generally documented without being associated with the society that built and used them. The need for interdisciplinary studies and new approaches to be made by evaluating human and material cultural data produced by humans in the same context in understanding all aspects of human biological and cultural evolution has been the driving force of this study. In this thesis, the data obtained from the disciplines of architecture, archeology and anthropology related to the architectural structures and society of the ancient city of Patara dated to the Roman Period were examined in terms of ethno-architecture. The aim of this study is to understand the relations between architectural structures and society and to form a methodological basis for the studies to be carried out in this context. The architectural material of the study consisted of the Theatre, the Parliament Building, the Harbor and Nero baths from the monumental public buildings of the Roman Period in Patara, and the anthropological material, demographic and morphological data obtained by the paleoanthropological analysis of the human skeletons of 155 individuals found in the 2010-2011 Patara excavation season. The approximate capacities of the buildings were calculated; ideal urban population and population changes between periods were evaluated. Afterwards, ergonomic analyzes of the structures were made and the structures were evaluated in terms of their relationship with the anthropometric measurements of the Patara society in the relevant period, functionality, orientation, light, landscape, protection from climatic conditions, the presence of the protective cover and acoustics. Finally, the importance of the buildings in public life has been examined, and the arrangements for their communal and social organizations have been researched. Urban population estimates based on the calculated approximate capacities of the buildings, being the most reliable for the 2nd century AD, indicate that the ideal urban population could be between 10000 and 25000. It has been determined that the caveas of the Theater and the Parliament Building are not compatible with the anthropometric measurements. In these buildings, both ergonomic and non-ergonomic arrangements have been determined in terms of the dimensions of the entrances, functionality, orientation, light, protection from climatic conditions and acoustics. It has been evaluated that the reason why cavea seating rows and klimakes are made inconsistent and uncomfortable with anthropometric measurements can be attributed to factors such as optics, acoustics, and cost. It has been evaluated that the comfort of these elements in the design can surpass the comfort of the individual regarding the anthropometric measurements, and that the importance of the individuals in the society can be kept in the background in the public buildings arranged in line with the architectural principles of the Roman Period. It has been determined that the Harbor and Nero baths are largely compatible with the anthropometric measures and standards of the society, and these structures are also largely ergonomic, although there are differences between them in terms of functionality, orientation, light and heating. It has been evaluated that some arrangements in the Theater and the Parliament Building, which have a cult value for the society as well as their social and administrative importance, may have been made for the comfort of the privileged as a reflection of the class differences seen in the society during the Roman Period. In the baths, which provide a social meeting environment in addition to the cleaning function, no different regulations regarding the social status and gender were found.