The amphora finds from sinop balatlar church: A typological and archaometrical analysis

This study covers the amphorae recovered during the excavations carried out between 2010-2021 at the Balatlar Church in the city centre of Sinop, located in the western Black Sea Region in the northernmost part of Turkey. The amphorae were dated to the Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Late Roman and Byzantine periods, depending on to the use of the building in which they were found. When the amphorae are evaluated with the layers they were recovered from, data on the phases of use of the building and the main chronological stratification were obtained. In order to contribute to the explanation of the connections and production tradition of the city during these periods, locally produced and imported amphorae were examined by dividing them into types according to their production centres. By analysing the form and fabric characteristics of the types, local and imported production characteristics were determined and it was identified that the imported amphora types show diversity. It is also seen that the city has been producing locally since the Late Classical Period and was also connected with the Black Sea, Mediterranean and Aegean coasts. In order to compare the raw material content of local amphorae classified typologically, 20 samples of different types (19 from Sinope and 1 from Herakleia Pontica) were archaeometrically evaluated using XRF (X-ray fluorescence) method. The analyses performed on the samples provided detailed information about the raw material (clay) used in the local production workshops, the mineralogical and petrographic structure of the raw material. KEYWORDS; Black Sea, Sinope, Balatlar Church, Amphora, Typology, Archaeometry