THE
URBAN SURVEY
A
short spring season was devoted to electrical resistivity survey
in the lower part of the city. Work was largely concentrated
on linking areas surveyed in previous seasons (Fig. 6).
The terrain was smooth with no structures visible on the surface.
It was confirmed that a substantial area to the southeast of
the Büyük Göl, the largest of the artificial reservoirs in the
city, was devoid of buildings and bounded on one side by a very
long narrow structure (Fig. 9).
It is thought that this represents an enclosed public space
at a central location within the city. This open area is not
dissimilar to the "Field" which is located inside the Cappadocia
Gate on the high southern sector of the city, making it likely
that the two areas were used in similar ways. There is, however,
some evidence that buildings had encroached on a part of this
central space before the city was sacked and burnt.
On the triangular tongue of land between the two streams to
the north and west of the Büyük Göl the survey revealed further
compounds together with many small, square, freestanding buildings
of unknown purpose (Fig. 9,
E580-620 and north of N1900).
An exciting diversion was a day devoted to survey of a monumental
two-roomed structure. This had been revealed previously by geomagnetic
survey and its outlines are still partially visible on the surface
(Figs 7
and 8).
Overall dimensions are 28m by 15m. The structure was presumably
a timber frame construction, infilled with mud brick, standing
on stone footings 1m in width. A double pitched roof of thatch,
or possibly wooden shingles, together with the wooden frame,
would have been reduced to ash when the building was put to
the torch. Orientation, facing directly onto a broad street,
is related to the lie of the land. One aim of this survey was
to see if rows of column bases could be located by this method,
while a second objective was to reveal the plans of slighter
buildings in the immediate vicinity. Our best guess is that
this large structure, which appears to be situated within its
own discrete compound, was a temple. Two similar structures
in other parts of the city have also been recognised.
