MEGALITHIC CULTURE OF HISTORIC BASIANI
Abstract
First of all, it should be noted that the present letter includes the research of one part of the material culture monuments of the historical Basiani region, currently in Eastern Turkey (Fasinler, Kofrukoy) - samples of megalithic, cyclopean construction. We note here that the aim of the work is the primary, scientific presentation of the material identified by the expedition team. Part of the material found by us as a result of field-expedition works is published for the first time - thus, an attempt of scientific study is attached to it in the form of historical-cultural analysis of the region, scientific annotation of cultural monuments and their classification-dating. The issues raised within the research, conclusions, attempts to date and classify the monuments are obviously primary in nature and require future study.
In the Basiani region (Turkey), within the scope of the expeditions, we traced more than two dozen monuments of megalithic culture, although the present letter will present an attempt at scientific analysis of only about ten of them. A large part of the mentioned monuments have been destroyed almost to the ground, which complicates the possibility of a more or less complete scientific reasoning about them. Monuments with plans that have survived in a relatively complete form were selected for the study - it was by taking into account planning features, construction techniques and materials that the typological differences of the given cyclopean construction were highlighted. Different types of planning, construction techniques and materials allow us to more or less determine the time range of the construction of monuments. It is important that a complete study of the mentioned monuments is impossible without archaeological excavations. Nevertheless, the art-scientific analysis of the presented group of monuments gave us important results, which became even clearer in the light of historical research. By analyzing the historical sources and studying the morphology of the monuments, it was possible to determine the general time range of the construction of this large group of almost destroyed buildings.
Keywords: Art History; Archaeology; History; Architecture; Megalith; Bassiani.
