Taş Kule

A Persian-Period Tomb near Phokaia

Bibliographic Data

ID4542272
AuthorsNicholas Cahill (corresponding author)
Year1988
Volume92
Issue4
Pages481-501
Publication date1988-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Archaeology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9114 • E-ISSN: 1939-828X
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2307/505245
OpenAlexW2315162920
LanguageEN
Citations received14

A unique freestanding tomb near Phokaia, known as Taş Kule, is presented here, and an attempt made to analyze its cultural background. Taş Kule does not belong to any of the normal Anatolian traditions in funerary architecture; rather, its unique form should be connected with Persian aristocrats and administrators living in Asia Minor, and with "Persianizing" local nobility. The funerary traditions of these aristocrats seem to differ from those of local nobles and of Persians living in the homeland, and certain aspects of these "hybrid" traditions, such as false doors, are discussed. On archaeological and historical grounds, Taş Kule should probably be dated to the second half of the sixth or earlier fifth century B. C., placing it among the earliest freestanding tombs in Anatolia. The origins of these tombs may be related to the more general use of monuments as propagandistic memorials, and the historical context of Taş Kule itself may thus be related to attempts to maintain political control over this traditionally rebellious area of the Persian empire

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Context (archaeology) · Homeland · Nobility · Period (music) · Persian · Politics · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Ancient Near East History · Archaeology and Historical Studies · Classics · History · Law · Philosophy

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