identity in pontus from the achaemenids through the roman period a thesis submitted to the

117 Pages·2017·1.21 MB·English

by  Selin Gür

IDENTITY IN PONTUS FROM THE ACHAEMENIDS THROUGH THE
ROMAN PERIOD

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
OF
MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY

BY

SELİN GÜR

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR
THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE OF SETTLEMENT
ARCHAEOLOGY

JUNE 2018
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Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences
_________________
Prof. Dr. Tülin Gençöz
Director

I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for
the degree of Master of Science of Philosophy.
_________________
Prof. Dr. D. Burcu Erciyas
Head of Department

This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our
opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the
degree of Master of Science of Philosophy.
_________________
Prof. Dr. D. Burcu Erciyas
Supervisor

Examining Committee Members

Prof. Dr. Suna Güven (METU, AH) ____________
Prof. Dr. D. Burcu Erciyas (METU, SA) ____________
Asst. Prof. Dr. Şahin Yıldırım (Bartın Uni., Ark.) ____________
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I hereby declare that all information in this document has
been obtained and presented in accordance with academic
rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by
these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all
material and results that are not original to this work.

Name, Last Name: Selin Gür

Signature:

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ABSTRACT

IDENTITY IN PONTUS FROM THE ACHAEMENIDS THROUGH THE
ROMAN PERIOD

Gür, Selin
Master’s Thesis, Settlement Archaeology
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Deniz Burcu Erciyas

June 2018, 105 Pages

The Kingdom of Pontus ruled over the Black Sea Region from 302
to 64 B.C. and covered a large geographical area. From its
foundation until the day it was destroyed, it hosted many cultures
in its territory and tried to adapt to cultural changes throughout its
history. The aim of this thesis is to examine the kingdom’s material
culture in the light of the theoretical approaches to periods of
cultural transition and to observe their effects on cultural identities.
It also brings a theoretical approach to how social identities change
during the process of integration. This study seeks to develop a
better understanding of these changes to see if they were
voluntary or compulsorily enforced by an intentional policy. Finally,
it tries to comprehend how the changes were incrementally
implemented into the society.

Keywords: Pontus, Black Sea, Cultural identity

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ÖZ

AKHAMENİDLERDEN ROMA DÖNEMİNE KADAR PONTUS'DA KİMLİK

Gür, Selin
Master, Yerleşim Arkeolojisi
Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Deniz Burcu Erciyas

Haziran 2018, 105 Sayfa

Pontus Krallığı M.Ö. 302-64 yıllarında Karadeniz Bölgesinde
hakimiyet sürdü ve geniş coğrafi sınırlara ulaştı. Kuruluşundan
yıkıldığı güne kadar pekçok kültürü topraklarında ağırladı. Bu yeni
kültürlerle beraber gelen değişikliklere dönemler boyunca uyum
sağlamaya çalıştı. Bu tezin amacı, bu geçiş dönemlerine yapılan
teorik yaklaşımlar ışığında materyal kültürü incelemek ve kimlik
yapılarına dair etkilerini gözlemlemektir. Aynı zamanda, toplumsal
kimlik yapılarının entegrasyon süreçleri sırasında ne gibi değişikler
gösterebileceğine dair teorik bir yaklaşım getirmektir. Son olarak
bu çalışma, bu değişikliklerin gönüllü olarak mı yoksa kasıtlı
uygulanan bir politikanın sonucu olarak mı gerçekleştiğini anlamaya
çalışmakta ve bu değişikliklerin topluma nasıl aşamalı olarak
uygulandığını araştırmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Pontus, Karadeniz, Kimlik

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to my
supervisor Prof. Dr. Deniz Burcu Erciyas for her endless support,
guidance and encouragements to pursue this goal. Throughout the
process she patiently continued to teach, motivate and helped me
to improve myself.
I owe my special thanks to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Didier Boukhaze-Khan
for supporting me when needed.
My sincerest thanks are extended to Prof. Dr. Mirko Novak and Dr.
Olivier Henry for giving me the opportunity to develop myself
during my master studies by having me in their excavations.
I am deeply grateful to my friends for the generous support they
gave me during the writing process of this thesis.
Finally, I owe my deepest gratitude to my family for supporting
me. Your encouragement was worth more than I can express. This
accomplishment would not have been possible without you.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PLAGIARISM ......................................................................... III
ABSTRACT ............................................................................ IV
ÖZ ........................................................................................ V
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................... VI
TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................ VII
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................... IX
CHAPTER
1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................. 1
2. CULTURAL IDENTITY IN ARCHEOLOGY ................................... 4
2.1. Theoretical Developments in Identity Studies ....................... 4
2.2. Identity and Material Culture ........................................... 12
2.2.1. The Material Culture of the Black Sea Region ................ 15
3. IDENTITY IN THE CENTRAL BLACK SEA REGION ................... 22
3.1. Historical Background ..................................................... 22
3.1.1. The Persian Empire ................................................... 22
3.1.2. The Kingdom of Pontus .............................................. 27
3.1.3. The Roman Province .................................................. 37
4. IDENTITY IN THE PERSIAN – HELLENISTIC PERIOD: ROYAL AND
RELIGIOUS PROPAGANDA ...................................................... 40
4.1 Temple States ................................................................. 51
4.1.1 Komana – Dedicated to Ma ......................................... 51
4.1.2 Zela - Dedicated to Anaitis, Omanus and Anadatus ........ 54
4.1.3. Ameria - Dedicated to Men Pharnakou ......................... 56
5. IDENTITY IN THE ROMAN PERIOD ....................................... 57
5.1. Romanization and Romanization Models ............................ 64
REFERENCES ........................................................................ 77
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APPENDICES
APPENDIX A - TURKISH SUMMARY/TÜRKÇE ÖZET ..................... 90
APPENDIX B - TEZ FOTOKOPİSİ İZİN FORMU .......................... 105

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