A Reassessment of an Anta-Architrave Practice in the Ionic Rock-cut Tombs of the Lykio-Karian Borderland
Özgür KAYA
Öz
In this article, an architectural practice seen in some of the Ionic rock-cut tombs of the Lykio-Karian borderland, mostly in the ancient city of Kaunos, is reinterpreted. This practice is distinguished by the positioning of the capitals belonging to the pilasters, which serve the purpose of antae in most of the rock-cut tombs mentioned, which project beyond the bottom level of the architraves. Since the antae and the columns are usually positioned below the architrave, this feature has until now been considered by researchers to be an architecturally erroneous practice specific to rock-cut architecture. The research conducted here has revealed that the practice most likely originated from wooden architecture and may have had a place in Ionic architecture, especially in the Archaic and Classical periods. Through this practice, vertical and horizontal elements must have been interlocked. Although the findings indicate that this practice goes back a long way, they also show that it may be in harmony with both the structural and historical context of the Late Classical period, especially in the Lykian region. Therefore, it is understood that the new explanation put forward here can be valid without much, if any, need for revision of the dating of the rock-cut tombs. Although the new interpretation does not allow for definitive conclusions in terms of discussions on the geography to which the Ionic rock-cut tombs are related, or to the buildings which they imitate, it will, however, put forward some hypotheses. The results obtained are also important in providing, clues that may help researchers interpret finds from early periods, about which little is currently known.
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