WIσTER Iσ THE LAσD τF RÛMμ KOMNENIAN DEFENSES AGAINST THE TURKS IN WESTERN ...

178 Pages·2015·9.57 MB·English

WIσTER Iσ THE LAσD τF RÛMμ
KOMNENIAN DEFENSES AGAINST THE TURKS IN WESTERN ANATOLIA

A Master‘s Thesis

by

HUMBERTO CESAR HUGO DELUIGI

Department of Archaeology
İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University
Ankara

January 2015
To the memory of my grandfathers

Simon van Nispen

&

Humberto De Luigi, Sr.
WIσTER Iσ THE LAσD τF RÛMμ
KOMNENIAN DEFENSES AGAINST THE TURKS IN WESTERN ANATOLIA

The Graduate School of Economics and Social Sciences
of
İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University

by

HUMBERTO CESAR HUGO DELUIGI

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree
of
MASTER OF ARTS

In

THE DEPARTMENT OF
ARCHAEOLOGY
İHSAσ DτĞRAMACI BILKEσT UσIVERSITY

January 2015
I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope
and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of
Archaeology.

----------------------------------
Dr. Charles Gates
Supervisor

I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope
and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of
Archaeology.

----------------------------------
Dr. Jacques Morin
Examining Committee Member

I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope
and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of
Archaeology.

----------------------------------
Dr. Eugenia Kermeli Ünal
Examining Committee Member

Approval of the Graduate School of Economics and Social Sciences

----------------------------------
Dr. Erdal Erel
Director
ABSTRACT

WIσTER Iσ THE LAσD τF RÛMμ
KOMNENIAN DEFENSES AGAINST THE TURKS IN WESTERN ANATOLIA

DeLuigi, Humberto Cesar Hugo
M.A., Department of Archaeology

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Charles Gates

January 2015

Castles constitute the most abundant group of Byzantine remains in Anatolia,
and offer historians and archaeologists the opportunity to more fully understand both
Byzantine settlement patterns and defensive systems through the ages. However, due
to their inaccessibility, lack of distinctive construction techniques, and an absence of
evidence for secure dating these monuments have often been neglected by
Byzantinists. At the same time, historical sources of the eleventh and twelfth
centuries make it clear that the Komnenian emperors Alexios, John, and Manuel all
engaged in extensive fortification activities. This thesis seeks to critically unite the
historical and archaeological evidence for Komnenian fortifications, with the goal of
further understanding the Komnenian defensive strategy and evaluating its results.
Following a historical overview of Turkish settlement in Anatolia and the Byzantine
response, forty Komnenian castles are surveyed, half of them historically attested and
the other half assigned to the period based on historical likelihood and, where
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possible, stylistic similarities with known Komnenian fortifications. The conclusion
argues that while the Komneni were generally successful in dealing with the Selçuks
diplomatically, they were unable to solve the problem of the nomadic Türkmen,
against whom their fortification program was overwhelmingly directed.

Keywords: Western Anatolia, Byzantine, Anatolian Selçuks, Türkmen, Alexios,
John, Manuel Komnenos, Kılıç Arslan, Castle, Fortifications, Defense Strategy,
Settlement

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ÖZET

RÛM TτPRAĞIσDA KIΑμ
BATI AσADτLU‘DA TÜRKLER KARΑISIσDAKİ KτMσEστSLARIσ
MÜDÂFAASI

DeLuigi, Humberto Cesar Hugo
Yüksek Lisans, Arkeoloji Bölümü

Tez Yöneticisiμ Prof. Dr. Charles Gates

Ocak 2015

Kaleler, Anadolu‘da Bizans kalıntılarının en bol olduğu grubu teΒkil eder ve
hem tarihçilere hem de arkeologlara, Bizans müdafaa sistemlerini ve yerleΒim
desenlerini anlamlandırabilmek için bir fırsat verir. Halbuki kalenin ulaΒılmazlık,
özgün olmayan inΒaat tekniği ve kesin tarihleme için kanıt eksikliği yüzünden bu
yapılar, Bizans araΒtırmacıları tarafından ihmal edilmiΒtir. Aynı zamanda, M.S. 11.
ve 12. yüzyıllara ait tarihi kaynaklar göstermektedir ki; Aleksios, Yannis, ve Manuel
Komnenos tarafından kapsamlı bir tahkimat inΒa edilmiΒtir. Bu tez, Komnenoslar
dönemindeki kaleler için tarihsel ve kazılardan elde edilen bilimsel kanıtları ciddi
olarak birleΒtirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu Βekilde, Komnenoslar‘ın müdafaa stratejisi
anlaΒılabilecek ve onun sonuçları değerlendirebilecektir. İlk Türk yerleΒimi ve
Bizans müdahaleleri hakkında genel bir tarihsel taslaktan sonra, kırk adet
Komnenoslar dönemine ait kale incelenmiΒtir. Yarısı tarihi kaynaklardan bilinirken,
diğer yarısı da Komnenoslar dönemi tarihsel olasılık ve stilistik kriterler araΒtırılarak
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elde edilmiΒtir. Sonuç bölümüν Komnenoslar‘ın Selçuklularla diplomatik açıdan
iliΒkilerinin baΒarılı olduğunu fakat göçebe Türkmenlerle sorunlarının
çözülemediğini ayrıca Komnenoslar‘ın savunma sistemini Türklere karΒı değil
göçebe Türkmenlere karΒı olduğu gerçeğini kesin olarak ortaya koymaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Batı Anadolu Bölgesi, Bizans, Anadolu Selçuklular,
Türkmenler, Aleksios, Yannis, Manuel Komnenos, Kale, Tahkimat, Müdafaa
Strateji, YerleΒim

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank my Thesis Supervisor Dr. Charles Gates for helping me
to choose this topic and for his patience as I worked my way through it. Although I
did not know the final conclusions I would reach Dr. Gates encouraged me to
continue researching and expanding my knowledge of a period that was largely new
to me when I began this project. I am also appreciative of my examining committee
members Dr. Jacques Morin and Dr. Eugenia Kermeli Ünal for their helpful
comments and insightful questions.
I am extremely grateful to the rest of the faculty in the Department of
Archaeology here at Bilkent, for creating an environment where scholarship and
intellectual exploration is so thoroughly nurtured and encouraged. I also owe thanks
to the Bilkent library staff, especially Füsun Yurdakul for her kind and prompt
assistance with interlibrary loan requests.
I also have to thank my friends and colleagues, past and present, in the
Department of Archaeology, Burak Arcan, Bahattin İpek, Leyla Yorulmaz, Tom
Moore, Andy Beard, Kasia Kuncewicz, Selim Yıldız, and σurcan AktaΒ, for their
support, encouragement, and many interesting and productive discussions. I am
especially grateful to Nurcan for providing me with so many pictures of the castle in
Kütahya before I was able to go there myself.

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I want to thank my family for supporting my decision to pursue graduate
studies and write this thesis, and in particular my brother Christiaan and my sister-in-
law Dara for being my first introduction to Anatolia and its immense archaeological
and cultural wealth.
Finally I owe an immense debt of gratitude to Seçil Birkan, my constant
travel companion, unfailing supporter, and best friend. Hayatımda en çok sana
borçluyum, en fazla teΒekkürü de sana etmem gerekiyor.

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