Territory of Hierapolis in Phrygia

The aim of the archaeological guide to the territory of Hierapolis in Phrygia (Pamukkale) is to present the results of the research  conducted by the Italian Archaeological Mission since 2005. This research has sought to reconstruct the pattern of settlement in this area from Prehistory to the Byzantine epoch and to draw an archaeological map. The investigated area includes the northern side of the valley of the river Lykos (the current Çürüksu), where Hierapolis was located, and the plateau of Uzunpınar, delimited to the north by the course of the river Maeander. The research has also covered part of the nearby plateau of Çal, which might have fallen within the territory administered by Hierapolis, at least during the mid-Imperial period. After presenting the main archaeological evidence regarding the period before the foundation of Hierapolis, chronologically corresponding to the period from the Bronze Age to the Phrygian epoch, the volume provides a detailed description of the organisation of the chora of Hierapolis from the Hellenistic to the Byzantine periods, including the extensive quarries (of marble, travertine, alabaster and polychromatic breccia), the aqueducts that supplied the city, the ancient road network, the sacred areas, and the farms and villages with their relative necropolises.