Amisos

Abstract

Dara (Anastasiopolis) is a settlement located at 30 km at the southeast of the province of Mardin in Upper Mesopotamia and offers us very important findings with the researches that are made in recent years. Very few of the seized materials have been presented with a focus on publication in the excavations carried out in the city so far since 1986. There has been quite few studies on Phokaian Red Slip Wares not only in Dara but also in Upper Mesopotamia. Among the various ceramic finds in Dara, Phokaian Red Slip Wares, which we have the most insight about, provide very important information in terms of the expansion of the spreading area with its presence in Upper Mesopotamia. Phokaian Red Slip Wares, seen in almost every settlement in the Mediterranean Basin during the Late Roman-Early Byzantine Period, are found more in the Syria Region compared to Upper Mesopotamia in the light of the existing excavation findings. These ceramics are examples of popular use in Upper Mesopotamia in the light of Dara data as well. In addition, it suggests that the Phokaian Red Slip Wares, which were seen in Nisibis (Nusaybin), a Sassanian settlement during its period (5th-7th century), were probably brought here by trade from its close neighbor Dara. Because, Dara is a border garrison, especially in the 6th century, as well as a customs point where wares enter and exit from east to west and west to east. In the light of this information, it is understood that Dara, which is also known to be located on the “Silk Road”, is not only a customs point for wares coming from the east, but also undertakes customs mission for wares sent from the west. This situation reveals that Phokaian Red Slip Wares, which were used extensively in the Mediterranean during the Late Roman-Early Byzantine Period, were transported to very distant lands by land transport as well as sea trade.