Abstract:

Olympos, one of the port cities of the Lycian Region, is located in a deep valley formed by Sepet Mountain in the south and Omurga Mount in the north. The Olympos River, which forms the main character of the city and passes in the middle, divides the city into two as north and south. Although there is no data on the first establishment of Olympos at the urban level, the first written sources for its existence are provided by the coins of the Lycian Union dated to the Hellenistic Period. Similarly, the polygonal fortification walls located in the south of the city are another important data showing the existence of the city in the Hellenistic Period. Olympos, which is one of the 23 cities that have the right to vote in the Lycian Union, is one of the important cities with three voting rights, along with Xanthos, Patara, Pinara, Myra and Tlos. It is understood that between 100 and 77 BC, the city lost this importance and it was not in the Lycian Union. This situation is related to Zeniketes who is known to be a piracy company in the region from the west of Antalya to the Gulf of Gelidonya. The city was reintroduced to the Lycian Union during the Roman Imperial Period. In the archaeological studies, it was understood that no data on Christianity could be obtained in the city until the fifth century BC. However, the fact that the name of the saint named Methodius, who lived in the end of the 3rd century and the beginning of the 4th century, is the first bishop of the Lycian region, shows the presence of the Christian community in this period. Taking into account the general urban planning, it is understood that the city underwent reconstruction activities in the 5th and 6th centuries after the Roman period. The church and baptistery, where the slabs are the subject of our study, are located in the center of the Episcopal Palace, where religious and administrative functions in the north of the city are carried out. The bishop's house is located in the east of the Episcopal Palace. The bishop house is located in the east of the Episcopal Palace, and in the west there are triclinium, peristyl and different sized rooms which are thought to belong to the officials. The church, which is the largest building in the palace, has three naves and a transplant plan. In the south of the church there is a relief chapel and an additional space, while the north has a three-nave basilical baptistery. There is a rectangular narthex in the west of the church without atrium. The doors on the east wall of the narthex provide access to the dining room and the doors on the north wall provide access to the baptistery. In the bema of the church, there is templon arrangement in the form of an inverted P in the apse width. The doors on the eastern wall of the church allow access to the corner rooms from the naves. The naval separations of the church formed by columns and slabs are designed as high type to prevent both passage and sight in the section of the northern naval up to the transept. Slabs which are used in churches for ambon, templon, solea, altar, and nave separation, were found in the different excavations periods in the Episcopal Church and Baptistery of Olympos. Most of the slabs in the buildings were produced from limestone material which are similar to the examples in the Lycian Region. However, in some of the slabs, marble materials were also used. It is seen that the slabs, which are mostly used in ship separations due to the finds, are processed with herbal, geometric, figurated, inscribed and symbolic motifs. The leaf among scrolling branch is often used in vegetal motifs. In addition, ivy, flowers with round and pointed leaves, pomegranate and spike motifs are also seen. In the slabs seen geometric motifs such as interwoven circles, intersecting circles, rhombuses and triangles. As a symbolic motif, the cross that we see in Latin, Maltese and Rho types has often been used. In the figurative depictions we see on the plates made of marble, a portrait of a saint or a Virgin Mary, a lion-goat struggle and a peacock can be seen. The . When the ornament methods on the slabs are taken into consideration, it was seen that techniques such as incised, relief, and large carving were used in the same way as in the Lycian Region. Another interesting feature that we found in the samples made up of local limestone material is the guiding lines on their decorated or undecorated surfaces. These guidelines helps stone mason to place the motifs on the slab in a smooth and symmetrical way. In this respect, it provides very interesting information about the construction process and design of the slides. As a result, all the slabs examined are dated to the 5th 6th century BC when evaluated with motives, stylistic features and similar examples.

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