7th Century Old Cistern Among Recent Finds In Medieval City Of Beçin, Turkey

Conny Waters - AncientPages.com - The medieval city of Beçin, situated in the Milas district of southwestern Muğla province, southwest of Turkey was a historical fort. It has a long history and hosted the Romans, Byzantines, Menteşeoğulları Sultanate, and Ottomans.

In the medieval city of Beçin in southwest Turkey, archaeologists unearthed 7-century-old cistern. (An aerial view). Image credit: Anadolu Agency via Daily Sabah

It is one of the most important archaeological sites in the region and excavations are carried out there throughout the year. Remains unearthed at the site help to shed light on history.

One of the recent archaeological findings in the ruins of Beçin is the cistern, which is considered to be 700 years old, writes Daily Sabah.

The cistern - built with cut stones and is a rectangular structure with a barrel vault supported by an arch in the middle - was unearthed during the excavation of the ruins of a house in the area,"  according to Professor Kadir Pektaş, head of the excavation team at Beçin.

“The cistern, which we believe dates back to the 14th century, had a special function, especially in times of war. When the forts of a city were besieged, the first thing that was done to ensure that its people would surrender was the destruction of the waterways, Professor Pektaş told Anadolu Agency (AA).

The castle of Beçin (referred to as “Pezona” in Middle Age Italian sources and in Turkish Islamic sources as “Beçin”) is located on a rocky plateau in the village of Beçin to the south of the town on the Milas Ören road. The Byzantine era castle overlooking the Milas plains was restored by the Menteseogullari. Their king considered Beçin Castle easy to defend. Image source: Alaturka

"With the challenge of water supply, the city's people were urged to surrender. That situation was when the cisterns inside the city came into play. Therefore, the cistern in Beçin is very important for us. This structure, along with other relevant findings, is a beautiful specimen that has survived to the present day,” Pektaş said.

Also, other similar cisterns could also have been built in other parts of the castle as well.

Stating that women's jewelry, olive oil scale, and an archer ring were very striking among the finds Pektaş stated that the findings in Beçin provide information about the social, cultural, and economic life of the city and its surroundings.

An olive oil scale unearthed in the cistern in the medieval city of Beçin, Mugla province, southwestern Turkey, Aug. 17, 2020. Image credit: Anadolu Agency

Another valuable finding is a 2,500-year-old female figurine carrying the water of which fragment was unearthed at the site. Similar female figures dating back to the fifth century B.C. were often present in sacred areas in ancient times.

"There are examples of this found in the Caria Region. But it was not known that it was also in the Beçin Castle. This is not surprising for us, because tombs and finds dating back to much earlier, chalcolithic ages were found in Beçin," the archaeologists said.

“There have been examples of this figure unearthed in the Caria region (the ancient name of the geography in southwest Anatolia, close to the northern parts of present-day Muğla). However, we were not aware of Beçin Fort's sacred significance. Its emergence suggests that this place may have been a sanctuary in ancient times. That is not surprising because tombs and findings dating back to much earlier periods and Chalcolithic periods have been found in Beçin.”

Previously, the archaeologists made other valuable discoveries including a chamber-shaped Roman tomb, a Byzantine chapel, the Islamic school from the Menteseogullari period, mosques, and a Turkish tomb.

Written by Conny Waters - AncientPages.com Staff Writer