25.ULUSLARARASI ORTAÇAĞ VE TÜRK DÖNEMİ KAZILARI VE SANAT TARİHİ ARAŞTIRMALARI
PRELIMINARY THOUGHTS ON THE BYZANTINE PRODUCTION OF TEXTILES VIA KADIKALESİ/ANAİA FINDS
Yayıncı:
Necmettin Erbakan Üniversitesi Yayınları
In the history of art, every cultures are the sources of materials of the following ones. Like the reused stones in architecture, the minor objects used again and again according to their living. The whorls or the weawing weights are the finest samples to this in archaeological finds. Probably there is not any excavation fields which not contain them. In fact, weaving, which is generally made with very few tools and without the need for large areas, could be done wherever it was needed for life in the Middle Ages. In the excavations carried out since 2001, these weaving-knitting tools in the multi-layered archeology of Kadıkalesi will be our main finds in our presentation. Because, in this paper, we aimed to open discuss Byzantine weaving in general through these finds. Kadıkalesi, as a medieval castle located on an artificial hill (mound) on the coast of the Aegean in the southern beach of Kuşadası, contains traces of production sectors such as ceramics, glass and metal, as well as bonework and weaving. The finds of a large number of weights/spindles from each layer of the site in the archaeological excavations showed that textile production continued for centuries without interruption. We also understand that weights or spindle whorl finds were used many times over a wide period of time, from Prehistory to the Middle Ages. The large number of stone and terracotta spindle whorls scattered throughout the 13th century settlement show that the weaving industry in the castle was not concentrated in a single area. In addition to this situation, the discovery of many bone spindle whorls, buttons and needles from different parts of the castle during the excavations explains the existence of different textile products instead of a single type of production. The fact that Kadıkalesi is located in the gulf and is a commercial base shows that the production in the castle is not just regional, therewithal shared with overseas countries. This interaction took place in the form of both raw material export and trade of textile products. Within the extent of our report, 34 stones, 15 pieces of terracotta, 7 bone spindle whorls as well as bone needles and awls found in the Kadıkalesi/ Anaia late period settlement layer will be discussed. Bone finds will be explained in detail, as well as evaluated in terms of production proposals for the places where they were found.
