Zerzevan Kalesi ve Mithraeumu’nun Benzersizliğini Kanıtlayan Çok Yönlü Karşılaştırmalara Dayalı Kültürel Miras Analizi

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 39 - 63, 26.03.2025

Aytaç Coşkun , Eser Deniz Oğuz Kırca , Volkan Demirciler

Abstract

Roma İmparatorluğu'nun doğu sınırlarındaki Zerzevan Kalesi, Romalıların Romalıların Yukarı Mezopotamyada kurdukları karargahların prototipini yansıtır. Kale, plan şemasını kısmen koruyarak günümüze kadar gelmiş nadir örneklerden birisidir. Bunun yanında farklı inanç sistemlerinin, ritüellerin ve Roma askeri planlama unsurlarının bir arada görülebildiği yarı sivil bir yerleşimdir. İ.S. 1.-6. yüzyıllara tarihlenen kale, orta büyüklükteki bir garnizona denk, özenle tasarlanmış bir inşaat tasarı ve görünümüyle, merkezî Roma dışındaki Roma kalelerinin bir prototipidir.
Bu makale, mevcut tüm mimari ve arkeolojik veriye dayanarak ve herhangi bir varsayım veya sınırlama olmaksızın, Zerzevan’ın, Mezopotamya'daki Roma dünyasının eşsiz tanığı olarak bir dünya kültür mirası olarak aday gösterilmesinin haklılığını ve buna ilişkin sürecin tamamlanmasının gerekliliğini ortaya koymaya çalışmaktadır. Ayrıca, Zerzevan’ın benzersizliğinin nedenlerini, ulusal, bölgesel ve kıtasal karşılaştırmalar yoluyla ve gerek kale sistemi gerekse tek veya ikili yapı ölçeğinde göstermeyi amaçlamaktadır.
Kale ve Mihtraeum ikilisinin birlikteliği, UNESCO Dünya Miras Listesi’nde şimdiye kadar yeterince temsil edilememiştir. Bu bağlamda ve benzerleriyle karşılaştırıldığında, Zerzevan ve Mithraeum’u, Roma egemenliğinin kurulduğu Avrupa ve Akdeniz Havzası'nda bilinen kalelerin ve mithraeumların tek bir noktada en iyi şekilde gözlemlenebileceği özellikli bir alandır.

Keywords

Kastrum, Roma, Miras, Mithraeum, Zerzevan

Cultural Heritage-Wise Analysis Based on Multilateral Comparanda Attesting to The Uniqueness of Castrum Zerzevan and its Mithraeum

Abstract

The Zerzevan Fortress on the eastern borders of the Roman Empire reflects the prototype of the headquarters established by the Romans in Upper Mesopotamia. The fortress is one of the rare examples that has survived to the present day, partially preserving its plan scheme. It is also a quasi-civilian settlement where rituals of different belief systems and Roman military planning elements can be seen together. Dating back to the 1st-6th centuries AD, the castrum is a prototype of the castra Romana outside central Rome, with a carefully designed construction scheme and appearance matching a medium-sized garrison.
Based on all the available architectural and archaeological data, without any assumptions or limitations, this paper endeavors to posit the rightfulness of the nomination of the site as a world cultural heritage as a unique testimony of the Roman world in Mesopotamia and the necessity for finalizing the process. It aims to demonstrate the site's uniqueness and show the reasons for its rarity all over the globe through national, regional, and continental comparanda, either on a fortress system, single-building, or duo scale.
There is either a gap in the WHL regarding the co-presence of the duo of Castrum and Mihtraeum, or they have not been adequately represented in the same historical site/archaeological belonging so far. In this context and in comparison to counterparts, Zerzevan, with its Mithraeum, is a featured area where forts and mithraeums known from Europe and the Mediterranean Basin, where Roman rule was established, can be best observed in a single point.

Keywords

Castrum, Roman, Heritage, Mithraeum, Zerzevan

References

• Ammianus Marcellinus. (1999). History (J.C. Rolfe, Trans.) Loeb Classical Library. I tinerarium Antonini Augusti. (1848). Itinerarium Antonini Avgvsti et Hierosolymitanvm ex libris manvscriptis 104.7. (G.F.C. Parthey & M. Pinder (Eds.) Berolini.
• Vegetius. (2015). De Re Militari (J. Clarke, Trans.) Lume Books.
• Vitruvius. (1960). Ten Books on Architecture (M.H. Morgan, Trans.) Dover Publications.
• Ahunbay, M. (1991). Dara-Anastasiopolis 1990 yılı çalışmaları. In XIII. Kazı Sonuçları Toplantısı, Vol. 2, Ministry of Culture and Tourism Publications, Çanakkale (pp. 197-203).
• Alvar, J., Grodon, R., & Rodriguez, C. (2006). The mithraeum at Lugo (Lucus Augusti) and its connection with Legio VII Gemina. Journal of Roman Archaeology 19 (1):266–277.
• Blétry, S. (2020). The Fortifications of Zenobia reinterpreted. EI Emanuele, SJ Barker & C Courault (Eds.), City Walls in Late Antiquity (pp. 137–147). Oxbow Books.
• Boon, G.C. (1960). A Temple of Mithras at Caernarvon-Segontium. Archaeologia Cambrensis, 109, pp. 136–178. Breeze, D. J., & Hanson, W. S. (2020). The Antonine Wall: Papers in Honour of Professor Lawrence Keppie. Archaeopress Publishing, Oxford.
• Bull, R.J., Derose, E.J, Ratzlaff, A.L., Bobeck, A.H., Fritzius, R.S. (2017). Joint Expedition to Caesarea Maritima Excavation Reports 2, American Schools of Oriental Research Archaeological Reports 25. American Schools of Oriental Research.
• Butcher, K. (2003). Roman Syria and the Near East. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.
• Campbell, D.B. (2006). Roman Legionary Fortresses 27 BC– AD 378. Osprey Publishing, Oxford.
• Carrington, P. (1977). The Planning and Date of the Roman Legionary Fortress at Chester. Journal of the Chester Archaeological Society, 60, pp. 35–42.
• Casey, P.J., Davies, J.L. (1993). Excavations at Segontium (Caernarfon) Roman Fort, 1975-1979, Archaeology Research Reports 90, Council for British Archaeology.
• Coşkun, A. (2017). Zerzevan Castle in the Light of Recent Archeological Researches. Anatolia, 43, pp. 91-110.
• Coşkun, A. (2019). Zerzevan Castle- Roman Border Garrison. Diyarbakır Valiliği, Diyarbakır.
• Coşkun, A. (2023). The Past and Present of Zerzevan Castle Excavations. A Coşkun (Ed.) Roman Border Garrison Zerzevan Castle: From Past to the Future (pp. 2–26). Orient Yayınları.
• Coşkun, A., & Oğuz-Kırca, E.D. (2023a). The Mithraeum At Castrum Zerzevan as a Unique Complex of Rock Hewn Structures. A Coşkun (Ed.) Roman Border Garrison Zerzevan Castle: From Past to the Future (pp. 46-76). Orient Yayınları.
• Coşkun, A., & Oğuz-Kırca, E.D. (2023b). An Evaluation of the Original Identity Problem and Structural Design of Zerzevan Castle. Anatolian Research, 28, pp. 119-142.
• Coşkun, A., & Oğuz-Kırca, E.D. 2022. Beyond the Roman East: An Archaeological Evaluation of the Mithraeum Based On Its Architectural Authenticity At Castrum Zerzevan (Diyarbakır, Turkey). Journal of Ancient History and Archaeology, 9/2, pp. 94-105.
• Demir, M., & Keçiş, M. (2017). Nisibis at the Border of Romans and Sasanians Between the Third and Fifth Centuries AD. Tarih Araştırmaları Dergisi, 36/62, pp. 1-29.
• Dietz, K., & Fischer, T. (1996). Die Römer in Regensburg. Pustet, Regensburg. Dirven, L. (1999). The Palmyrenes of Dura-Europos: A study of religious interaction in Roman Syria. Brill, Leiden.
• Dursun, F. (2024). From Quarry to Monument: Considering Mardin Stone (SE, Türkiye) as the Symbol of Architectural and Cultural Heritage. Geoheritage 16, pp.1–19.
• Dursun, F., Toprak, V., Oğuz-Kırca, E.D., & Coşkun, A. (2023). Reconstruction of an Ancient Hill Used as an On-Site Quarry: Castrum Zerzevan (SE-Türkiye). International Journal of Architectural Heritage, pp. 1-19.
• Fegerl, K. (2008). Archäozoologische Untersuchungen eines Fundkomplexes aus dem Tempelbezirk des Jupiter Heliopolitanus von Carnuntum [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Universitat Wien.
• Gabriel, A. (1940). Voyages Archéologiques dans la Turquie Orientale. E. de Boccard, Paris.
• Gawlikowski, M. (2000). Hawarte: Excavations, 1999. Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean, 11, pp. 261-271.
• Gawlikowski, M. (2007). The Mithraeum at Hawarte and Its Paintings.Journal of Roman Archaeology, 20, pp. 337-361.
• Gechter, M. (2007). Der Römische militärplatz Neuss (Novaesium). G Uelsberg (Ed.) Krieg und Frieden: Kelten-Römer und Germanen (pp. 207-213). Darmstadt.
• Goldsworthy, A. (2013). Armia Rzymska Na Wojnie 100 P.N.E. – 200 N.E. Ł. Różycki, Oświęcim.
• Gordon, R. (2000). The Story of the Wallbrook Mithraeum in London. Journal of Roman Archaeology, 13, pp. 736-742.
• Görkay, K. (2011). Roman City Walls (3rd Century City Walls). M Kadıoğlu & K Görkay (Eds.) Roman Ancyra (pp. 205-216). Yapı Kredi Yayınları.
• Görkay, K. (2017). Zeugma Lejyon Yerleşkesi: Yeni Araştırmalar, Sonuçlar ve Ön Değerlendirmeler. Anatolia, 43, pp. 147-179.
• Görkay, K. (2022). Zeugma/Seleukeia. A Engin & K Görkay (Eds.) Archaeology of Gaziantep from Prehistoric Times to the Late Antiquity (pp. 327-400). Ofset Yayınevi.
• Gschwind, M., & Ḥasan, H. (2008). Das römische Kastell Qreiye-ʿAyyāš, Provinz Deir ez-Zor, Syrien: Ergebnisse des syrischdeutschen Kooperationsprojektes. Zeitschrift für Orient-Archäologie, 1, pp. 316-334.
• Guyer, S., 1939. Eski Hisar, ein römisches Lagerkastell im Gebiet von Edessa. In Mélanges syriens offerts à Monsieur René Dussaud par ses amis et ses élèves, Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner (pp. 183-190).
• Hartmann, M., & Speidel, M.A. (2013). Military Installations at Zeugma: An Overview of the Swiss Archaeological Investigations 2001‒2003. W. Aylward (Ed.) Excavations at Zeugma Conducted by Oxford Archaeology 3 Vols. (pp. 381-392). Los Altos.
• Hartmann, M., Drahor, M.G., Speidel, M.A., Çiğdem, S. (2006). New Research at the Roman Legionary Camp at Satala, Northeast Anatolia; Geophysical and Archaeological Survey. In 21. Arkeometri Sonuçları Toplantısı, 2005 Antalya, Ministry of Culture and Tourism Publications (pp. 197-204).
• Hernandez, A.J., & Gomez, I.C. (2012). La Tumba del Elefante de la Necrópolis Romana de Carmona. Una revisión necesaria desde la Arqueología de la Arquitectura y la Arqueoastronomía. Archivo Español De Arqueología, 85, pp. 119–139.
• Hingley, R. (2012). Hadrian's Wall: A Life. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
• Hodgson, N. (2017). Hadrian's Wall: Archaeology and History at the Limit of Rome's Empire. The Crowood Press, Wiltshire.
• Kadıoğlu, M., & Görkay, K. (2011). Roma Döneminde Ankyra. In Y. Kurt (Ed.), Tarihte Ankara Uluslararası Sempozyumu Bildiriler, 25-26 Ekim 2011, Ankara (pp. 531-541).
• Kaizer, T. (2000). Some Remarks About The Religious Life of Hatra. Topoi, 10/11, pp. 229-252.
• Kolia, E. (2006). The Cult of Mithras in Aigion. In L' Acaia e l' Italia Meridionale. Contatti, scambi e relazioni dall' Antichità ai nostri Giorni, Atti del Convegno, Eghio, 6-9 Luglio 2006 (pp. 208-221).
• Lander, J. (1984). Roman Stone Fortifications: Variation and Change from the First Century AD to the Fourth. Bar International Series, England.
• Le Bohec, Y. (2009). Histoire militaire des Germanies d’Auguste à Commode. Pallas. Revue d'études antiques, 80, pp. 175-201.
• Lightfoot, C.S. (1998). Survey Work at Satala, a Roman Legionary Fortress in North-east Turkey, Ancient Anatolia. In R. Matthews (Ed.) Fifty Years’ Work by the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara, British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara Special Publication (pp. 273–284).
• Löhberg, B. (2006). Das Itinerarium Provinciarum Antonini Augusti. Frank & Timme, Berlin.
• Marcu, F. (2009). The Internal Planning of Roman Forts of Dacia. Mega Publishing House, Cluj-Napoca.
• Matheson, S.B. (1982). Dura-Europos: The Ancient City and The Yale Collection. Yale University Printing Service.
• Metin, H. (2021). Dara (Anastasiopolis) Agora Kazı Buluntuları (2020): Erken Bizans Dönemi Pişmiş Toprak Kandiller. Amisos, 10, pp. 87-99.
• Metin, H., Durukan, A. & Menteşe, D.H. (2022). Dara (Anastasiopolis) Kazı, Restorasyon ve Konservasyon Çalışmaları 2020. In A. Özme (Ed.) 2019-2020 Yılı Kazı Çalışmaları, Vol. 2, Ministry of Culture and Tourism Publications (pp. 429-446).
• Meyer, N. (2017). Les agglomérations de Sarrebourg/Pons Saravi (Moselle) et de Saverne/Tabernis-Tres Tabernae (Bas-Rhin): Deux Destins de Part et D’autre des Vosges Durant L’Antiquité Tardive. Gallia Archéologie des Gaules, 74-1, pp. 209-221.
• Mitford, T.B. (1977). The Euphrates Frontier in Cappadocia. In Studien zu den Militärgrenzen Roms. 2. Vorträge des 10. Internationalen Limeskongresses in der Germania Inferior, Köln (pp. 501-511).
• Mitford, T.B. (1998). The Roman Frontier on the Upper Euphrates. In R. Matthews (Ed.) Fifty Years’ Work by the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara, British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara Special Publication (pp. 255-272).
• Oates, D. (1968). Studies in the Ancient History of Northern Iraq. Cambridge British School of Archaeology in Iraq.
• Özükan, B. (2017). 2000-Year Roadmap of the Roman Empire-Tabula Peutingeriana- With Traces On Ottoman And Modern Turkish Geography. Boyut Yayınları, İstanbul.
• Parker, S.T. (2000). Roman Legionary Fortresses in the East. RJ Brewer (Ed.) Roman Fortresses and Their Legions: Papers in Honour of G.C. Boon (pp. 121–138). Society of Antiquaries of London.
• Pearson, H.F. (1939). A Guide to the Synagogue of DouraEuropos. Imprimerie Catholique, Beyrouth. Pearson, H.F., & Rostovtzeff, M. I. (1939). The Mithraeum: Architecture and history. MI Rostovtzeff (Ed.) The Excavations of Dura-Europos Preliminary Report of the Seventh and Eighth Season of Work, 1933–34 and 1934–35 (pp. 62–77). Yale University Press.
• Radt, W. (1979). Kapikaya Bei Pergamon- Ein Heiligtum Der Kybele und Des Mithras. In U. Bianchi (Ed.) Mysteria Mithrae: Proceedings of the International Seminar on the 'Religio-Historical Character of Roman Mithraism, with Particular Reference to Roman and Ostian Sources'. Rome and Ostia 28-31 March 1978, Études préliminaires aux religions orientales dansl'Empire romain, Leiden (pp. 789-803).
• Richmond, I.A., Gillam, J.P. & Birley, E. (1951). The Temple of Mithras at Carrawburgh. Archaeologia Aeliana, 29/4, pp. 1–92.
• Rushworth, A. (2009). Housesteads Roman Fort, the Grandest Station: Excavation and Survey at Housesteads, 1954–95, English Heritage Archaeological Report, Swindon.
• Sergejevski, D. (1937). Das Mithraum von Jajce. Journal of the National Museum in Sarajevo, XLIX, pp. 11-18.
• Shirley, E.A.M. (1996). The Building of the Legionary Fortress at Inchtuthil. Britannia, 27, pp. 111–128.
• Smith, D.J. (1962). The Restoration of the Birth of Mithras from Housesteads. Archaeologia Aeliana, 4/40, pp. 277–80.
• Sparavigna, A.C. (2019). The Orientation of the Plan of Novaesium, a Roman Fort on the Rhine (SSRN). http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3392789
• Szabo, C. (2013). Sziklából újraszületett – A Nemzetközi Mithras Kutatás Legújabb Eredményei. Ókor Folyóirat, 3/4, pp. 54-60.
• Szabo, C., Libita-Partica, M., & Muntean, I. (2023). Mithras Exhibited. Perspectives of Sensory Museology in Mithraic Contexts. Cercetari Arheologice, 30/2, pp. 737-763.
• Turcan, R. (2016). Recherches Mithriaques. Les Belles Lettres, Paris.
• Uzunoğlu, H. (2012). Anadolu’da Roma Lejyonları. NE Akyürek-Şahin, B Takmer, F Onur (Eds.) Eskiçağ Yazıları 2 (pp. 93-128). Arkeoloji ve Sanat Yayınları.
• Vermaseren, M.J. (1963). Mithras, The Secret God. Barnes & Noble, New York.
• Wagner, J. (1977). Legio IV Scythica in Zeugma am Euphrat. In J. Fitz (Ed.), Studien zu den Militärgrenzen Roms 2, Studien zu den Militärgrenzen Roms 2, Ed.: Jenö Fitz, Vorträge des 10th International Limeskongresses in der Germania Inferior, Köln (pp. 517-539).
• Winter, E., & Blömer, M. (2018). Doliche. Gaziantep Valiliği.
• Corpus Inscriptionum et Monumentorum Religionis Mithriacae (CIMRM)
• 34- Mithraeum. Dura Europos. www.tertullian.org/rpearse/mithras/display.php?page=cimrm34
• 180- Mithraeum. S. Maria Capua Vetere. www.tertullian.org/rpearse/mithras/display.php?page=cimrm180
• 229- The Mithraeum at the Baths of Mithras in Ostia. www.tertullian.org/rpearse/mithras/display.php?page=cimrm229
• 844- The Carrawburgh Mithraeum. www.tertullian.org/rpearse/mithras/display.php?page=cimrm844
• 860- Mithras and the egg, from Housesteads. Hadrian's Wall. www.tertullian.org/rpearse/mithras/display.php?page=cimrm860
• 1578- Mithraeum III. Poetovio / Pettau / Ptuj. www.tertullian.org/rpearse/mithras/display.php?page=cimrm1578
• 1896- Two-sided relief. Tauroctony, Mithraic communion. www.tertullian.org/rpearse/mithras/display.php?page=cimrm1896
• 1901- Mithraeum. Jajce. www.tertullian.org/rpearse/mithras/display.php?page=cimrm1901
• 2374. Mithraeum. Caernarvon. www.tertullian.org/rpearse/mithras/display.php?page=cimrm2374