Case Study: Kerkenes SiteUrbanism and the Methods of Geophysical Survey

• Site bounded by 7 km of stone walls with 7 city gates• Iron Age City founded around 600 BC• Pillaged and burnt down by mid-6th century

Background

Balloon Photography and GPS Mapping

•Shows large rectangular urban block (3,250 m2 )•Probably once bounded by streets at either end

NE of Central Area

West of Reservoir

•Shows boundary of compound (vegetation in summer reflects subsurface features)

Resistivity and Gradiometer Survey

•Reveals sub-unit structures of large urban block –Several two-roomed building

–Row of independent structures

NE of Central Area

West of Reservoir

•Reveals portion of central street•Cluster of dense buildings, other urban blocks•Influence of topography on orientation and position of faint structures•Subdivisions within enclosures evident

Resistivity Survey on North End of City

•More clear than gradiometer readings•Elaborates on subsurface data from earlier excavations•Confirms existence of other large halls•Confirms water management systems

Gradiometer Results on North End of City

•Picks up outline of burnt buildings

Inferences

•Probably houses•Smaller structures may have had secondary functions, i.e. storage, stabling.•Had double pitched or shed roofs•City’s life span short, as no rebuilding/remodeling is apparent•Centralized planning evident in ordered layout, size, and boundaries •Population size estimated at 23,000 for 250 hectares•No evidence of industrial areas, but would have had artisans