| Popis: |
Rock Tombs are ancient structures that are quite common especiallyin the Mediterranean basin. Most of the rock tombs around the AegeanSea and Mediterranean coasts are built on eroded fault scarps, ormorphologically steep cliffs of the Mesozoic olistostromalcarbonate/marble blocks, or on the cliffs near the coast as verticalarchitectural carvings on the bedrock. Akpınar Fault Tomb isarchitecturally unique in that it is directly constructed using the faultplane of the Manisa Fault.Reaching up to 50 km in length from Emlakdere in the west to Turgutluto the east, the Manisa Fault is located to the southern border of thewesternmost of Gediz-Alaşehir Graben system and present a highangle dip-slip normal fault character. This monumental geologicalasset reflecting the characteristics of the western Anatolian expansiontectonics, features geological heritage value with its open and traceableclear fault planes reaching up to width of 350 meters and length of 40meters. Akpınar Fault Tomb, also known as Aziz Kharalambos (St.Charalambos) or Çakırcalı’s Tomb by the locals and in the literature,has been subject to studies starting from the middle of the 19th centuryand is located on an openly visible fault plane segment of the ManisaFault at the 8. km of the Manisa-Turgutlu D250 highway, 150 meterssouth of the road. The entrance to the tomb, which is 12 meters inheight and 8 meters in depth, is reached by a seven-tread staircase, thelower five of which reach the side-walls and the upper two graduallyrise from the main gate. The structure has two parallel (north andsouth) tomb chambers, the southern chamber being more circularwhilst the northern one presenting a more angular and ellipsoidalgeometry. The crown section of the tomb presents a notable 2.5 meterdeep frame decorated by the chisel marks inside. The entrance sectionof the tomb is highly analogous to the dromos of a tumulus. The roofof the tomb is constructed directly on the cataclastic fault zone rocksof the N65-69W/39-41NE oriented fault plane without modifying thegeological structure. Due to this unique feature and its noncompliancewith the “rock tomb” terminology and morphology, this ancientstructure has been described as a “fault tomb” in this study for the firsttime. The main aim of this presentation is to introduce thegeoarchaeological characteristics of this ancient structure that directlyutilize architectural usage of a fault plane, and to bring up a discussionon this newly suggested term. |
