Dorylaion Moldmade Bowls

Abstract

The excavation site of Dorylaion, which is now known as Sarhoyuk, is located about 3 km to the North East of Eskisehir, 2 km to the South of the Porsuk river. The site is located at the junction of important roads in central Anatolia leading to the Marmara Sea, the Aegean coast and the Mediterranean region. The excavation carried out so far revealed the existence of the cultures in the Early Bronze Age, the Hittites, the Phrygians, the Hellenistic Kingdom as well as the Roman and Byzantine Empires. The layers of the Hellenistic period were uncovered during the excavation at the central area of the mound. This Hellenistic quarter, covering 900 square meters, is formed by a series of rubble foundations, mud bricks and open air courtyards inside the structures. Another Hellenistic settlement was found in a similar plan located in the West of the mound in the West sector covering an area about 300 m(2). Dorylaion moldmade bowls are the most reliable findings in dating the Hellenistic layers. During the archeological excavations in the site carried out from 1989 to 2009 (especially after 2005), 40 moldmade bowls and 3 fragments of molds were found. Moldmade bowls are arranged according to their type of decorations on them. They are classified in five main groups such as; Imbricate Bowls, Long Petal Bowls, Alternating Floral Bowls, Figured Bowls and Geometric Bowls. As the limited number of the findings are not qualified to give a reliable comparison and chronological order, they are dated by analogy. In this respect, Dorylaion moldmade bowls can be dated between the last quarter of 3rd century and last quarter of 2nd century BC. Although, findings of molds are limited, they reveal clearly the manufacturing of bowls in Dorylaion. Mold belonging to imbricate bowls, indicates the manufacturing of moldmade bowls in Dorylaion in the 2nd century. Craftsmen not only produced bowls in a usual composition but also in a quite primitive technique for the local demand.