Late antique and Byzantine carved stone slabs in Ayasuluk Hill: Their design, meaning, function and workshop

The "Ayasuluk Hill and St. Jean Monument Excavation" in Ephesus has yielded a large number of carved architectural finds over the course of more than a century of excavations. These architectural sculptures, most of which belong to the Church of Hagios Ioannes Theologos, an imperial building located in the area, provide a great deal of data concerning both Byzantine Period stone interiors and the sculpture/relief art of Western Asia Minor in the specific context of Ephesus. One of the most important groups of architectural sculptures in terms of both quality and quantity are the carved stone plaques. Within the scope of this thesis, the slabs dated to between the 5th-13th centuries were classified according to their design templates. Through discussing the historical development, workshop characteristics, iconographic meanings, and possible functions of these carved works within the context of design patterns, the contributions of these works to the history of the church and the region were investigated, and the carved stone plaques and the historical context were compared. By comparing the artefacts and the historical data of the region, the periods of renovation/repair were determined, especially for the Church of Hagios Ioannes Theologos. In addition, based on these slabs, which were produced in a very wide range of dates, a cultural architectural decoration language analysis has been made especially for Byzantine Ephesus and its surroundings, and the workshop characteristics that can be determined for the Ephesus workshop have been revealed. Keywords: Ephesus, Ayasuluk Hill, Byzantine Period, Architectural sculpture, Slab, Basilica of St. John, Church of Hagios Ioannes Theologos.