Byzanine pottery finds from Stratonikeia and Lagina excavations: Years 2008 - 2010

Stratonikeia Ancient city is located in Eskihisar, in the town of Yatağan, in today?s Muğla. The city?s Byzantine remains were concealed by modern village houses. As a result of the excavations, some Byzantine remnants around the ancient structures in the northern part of the city have been found.Lagina is a sanctuary in Stratonikeia during the ancient times. A three-naved basilica was built between the altar and the temple devoted to the goddess Hekate back in the Byzantine era. The excavations that started in 2006 around the sacred path which connects Lagina to Stratonikeia unearthed Byzantine remnants in two different districts called Beybağ and Kurudure. In Beybağ, pottery workshops, producing pottery for daily use during the Middle Byzantine era, have been explored.The subject of the dissertation covers the Byzantine potteries found during the excavations. It is important that the identification of the potteries has been made in just one study. These ceramics date back to a long period of time, beginning from the early Byzantine period until the mid 13th century where the empire?s domination came to an end. 480 pieces in total were evaluated after having been catalogued. Potteries were classified in five groups according to their functions such as service, kitchen, storage, lighting and commercial activities. The potteries which were produced in the local area and the ones which were imported were compared and fifty different production ranges were identified. Keywords: Byzantine, Pottery, Caria, Pottery Kiln, Pottery Forms