Roman ruins onthe upper Tigrits Basin

Urfa, the subject of our study, being an important settlement at Upper Euphrates basin, was one of the most important settlements of southeastern Anatolia in ancient times. The town was called as Edessa in the Roman period was lying an important point with the Harran region both located in the route of Northern Mesopotamia and Southern Anatolia. Because of its strategical importance, many powerfull civilizations were interested in it, so its governing changed from time to time. This area was also known as the Oshroene Kingdom and its capital as Edessa. Since it was under long rule of Rome, its native eastern culture had been mixed with Roman culture and art. Consequently this mixture was reflected in the works of art of the period in question. In the first chapter of the thesis we tried to determine the history of the town in general and also dealt with the Roman Era in this period. At conclusion we tried to show Roman presence in the area by means of archaeological findings.