RURAL SETTLEMENT ORGANIZATION IN THE CENTRAL PISIDIA IN LIGHT OF KARADİĞİN HILL (SOUTHWEST TURKEY)

Abstract

The aim of this study is to introduce the rural area of Karadiğin Hill, which is located in the northeast of Kremna ancient city in Central Pisidia, and provide information about rural settlements in the region, while evaluations were made on the architectural features of the houses in the settlement and different suggestions are presented. As a result of this study, it has been shown for first time that a rural settlement organization was formed in the central Pisidia. The new findings helped to understand the formation of Roman settlements with rural areas mainly in the 2nd century AD. When looking at the settlement order of Karadiğin Hill, it is noteworthy that it consists of rectangular, one-room simple hybrid spaces. This model mainly constitutes the building block of rural settlements in Central Pisidia. In fact, the Roman rural settlements have been a follow up of the rural settlement model that has been going on since the Iron Age with minor changes. The topographic structure that characterizes the settlement order made it compulsory for the rural population to cluster on high rocky hills close to the valley slopes or agricultural lands. The documented findings at Karadiğin Hill reveal that olive and olive oil production was a favorable occupation in the region; and it seems that olive-olive oil production is popular in rural areas similar to Karadiğin Hill geomorphology (e.g. İnarası, Hisarköy Asartepe), whereas in regions such as Karapınar Asartepe and Kumaryaylası, grape-wine production is preferred. As a result of our long-term studies in the region, it was determined that the urban population and rural population dispersed at the same rate during the Roman period.