Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul

The 2004 season

Turkish version / Swedish version

Campaign period: June 28 to July 16, 2004.

Participants: Docent Lars Karlsson, project director, Uppsala University, professor Pontus Hellström,
Uppsala University, architect, Ph.D. Thomas Thieme, Göteborg, engineer Ivar Andersson, Stockholm,
archaeologist Göksan Keskin, Stockholm and Ph.D. student Kadir Baran, Ankara University.

Swedish archaeological research at the Carian sanctuary of Zeus at Labranda began in 1948. Large
parts of the sanctuary were explored in the 1940s and 50s. Research and archaeological excavations
have continued since then. The directorship of the expedition, based at the University of Uppsala ,
decided in 2001 to return to work at the site. The archaeological work at Labranda will in the nearest
future have the following three directions: (A) increasing the accessibility of the site for vistitors and
developing a program of preservation; (B) documentation of the ancient remains in the vicinity of the site;
(C) continued research and excavation inside the area of the ancient sanctuary.

Fig. 1. The team in 2004.

Increased accessibility for visitors and a program of preservation
Issues of creating a better accessibility to the site for visitors were put forth in the first discussions with the
Turkish authorities in the summer of 2001. A parking and turning place for cars and buses, as well as a
ticket office and toilets, were high on the wishing list. During the campaigns of 2002 and 2003 a major
dump of soil from the early excavations was removed under our leadership. This freed a large area along
the approach road for cars and buses. The work was executed with trucks from the local mining company
Eczacibasi Esan. Drawings for a ticket office and toilets have been produced and the work will start as
soon as possible, according to the provincial governor (the Vali). The Labranda team has also produced
a brochure with plans and descriptive text explaining the site to be handed out for free by the local guard
(bekci). Furthermore, large information signs are being prepared to be put up at the more important buildings
and monument, as well as at the entrance to the excavations and in the city of Milas.

Fig. 2. New plan of Labraunda.

Fig. 3. New entrance and parking area; Fig. 4. South wall of Andron A with laser scanning measuring points.

Questions of preservation have also been addressed at different levels. Firstly, it is necessary to make a
static investigation of the building walls of Andron A. The nine-metre high southern wall is leaning markedly
and it is of the highest importance to understand this wall's static situation. After discussions with architects
and engineers at a conservation seminar held at the Museum of Mediterranean Antiquities in Stockholm in
February of 2003, we decided that new and absolutely accurate drawings must be produced of Andron A.
The economic means for this investigation was furnished in December of 2003 by the Swedish Royal Academy
of Letters. This enabled us to invite engineer Ivar Andersson of the Stockholm SWECO company to Labranda
for the production of advanced drawings with the use of a laser scanner. This project was one of the more
important during this year's campaign and it became a great success. From these drawings the work will now
continue with a study of the building's static situation.

Fig. 5. Laser scanner at Andron A.

The effects of the sour rains, which have received increased attention following the Volvo symposium of air
pollution held at the Swedish Institute in Rome in 1987, are also a problem for the marble blocks at Labranda.
They are being destroyed by lying outside in the open air. We continue the discussions about what can be done
here. However, these marble blocks, which are both architectural elements and ancient inscriptions, must be put
under a roof of some kind. This is an expensive project.

Documentation of ancient remains in the vicinity of Labranda
The early excavations were concentrated inside the area of the sanctuary. Under influence from the latest theoretical
directions in archaeology, which have emphasised landscape inventorying, so called surveys, the Labranda project
has recognized the importance of remains in the vicinity of the sanctuary. The Sacred Road was an 8-metre wide
paved road surface, which led from Mylasa (today Milas), the capital of Caria in the plain, to the sanctuary of Labranda
in the mountains, a total distance of 14 kilometres. The ancient author Strabo gives the distance as 60 stadia, which
nicely approximates the real distance. We inventoried the 6 kilometres that are in the high area towards Labranda itself.
The parts of the road towards Milas are not visible as they are completely covered by several metres of alluvial soil. The
preserved sections of the road in the upper area have been documented, measured and plotted onto a new digital plan
over the area. The digital plan was produced under our supervision by the company ARI of Milas under the leadership
of Turgay Kinaci.

In connection with the survey of the road we discovered a series of spring houses, making the total number of spring houses
in the area of Labranda about 20. Most of these spring houses were located near the road and have apparently been built in
connection with the construction of the road. The pilgrims could thus stop at the spring houses, while on their way to the yearly
festivities at the sanctuary, to have a zip of the fresh and cold Labranda water in the heat of summer. There are also many
ancient tombs cut into the bedrock along the Sacred Road. They date to the same time as the road and the spring houses,
i.e. the 4th century B.C. Most of the tombs have been documented and plotted onto the digital plan. Further newly-discovered
tombs will be inventoried next year.

An important study project is to understand and document the remains of how the sanctuary at Labranda was protected from
invading armies and other intruders. The Late Classical and Hellenistic periods were chaotic, with generals fighting each other
over land. During the campaign of 2004 we cleared the very impressive fort which was built on top of the acropolis above and
behind the santuary. This fortification had been known to the Swedish archaeologists for a long time but it is not until now that
we are measuring and documenting the well-preserved remains. This summer, eight workers cleaned the 2-kilometre long wall
with its 9 towers from the heavy vegetation of weeds, bushes and pine-trees. The blocks, which were completely covered by a
soft layer of long pine needles, were brushed and sweapt clean. Then we could initiate the time-consuming work of drawing,
measuring and photographing all the blocks. Towers and fallen blocks are drawn exactly as they are found. Unfortunately, we
were only able to finish drawing half of the fort. The work will continue in the campaign of 2005. Earlier in the season we had
surveyed the free-standing towers and small forts laying in the slope in front and on the sides of the sanctuary. These towers,
of which we have found four, stood in direct eye-contact with the fort on top of the the acropolis and were all planned to function
together in the protection of the sanctuary, which in this period was filled with votive gifts in gold, silver and bronze. One of the
large towers, Tepesar Kale, measuring 11.70 x 11.60 metres, was cleared from vegetation. Unfortunately, even here the time
was not sufficent for the preparation of a detailed stone plan. The tower was on the other hand plotted onto the digital plan. The
other towers will be measured and put onto the digital plan during the campaign of 2005.

Continued research and excavation inside the area of the sanctuary
During the campaign of 2003 we documented the walls that surrounded the buildings of the sanctuary, the so-called temenos
walls. This work made it possible for us to better understand which parts of the territory that were still in private hands and which
were state property (i.e. had been bought by us before). A land survey was also conducted by comunal surveyors from Milas city.
The land areas that are still private need to be bought for future protection and possible archaeological investigations. The area
inside the temenos wall should also be protected by a fence. Two smaller pieces of land were bought by us west of Andron A in
2003.

The work on the publications of the earlier excavations, above all Andrones A and B, was continued by professor Pontus Hellström
and architect Thomas Thieme. The interior of Andron A was discussed, especially the arrangement of the marble frames of the
monumental niche at the end of the room.

The entire sanctuary was, in connection with these publication works, cleaned from vegetation and trees that were attached to
buildings and terrace walls. Accordingly, both the Andrones, the large terrace wall behind the North Stoa, the entire East Stoa and
the Southern terrace wall were all cleaned from vegetation. Futhermore, a late stone wall between the sanctuary and the Holy
Spring was removed and placed behind the spring, thus making it possible for visitors to reach the spring and its fresh water
while visiting the site.

The 29-lined inscription, discovered during the campaign of 2002 was further studied in the museum of Milas, after the presentation
of a new reading by Signe Isager of the neighbouring Danish Halikarnassos expedition. A proposal for the publication of this
inscription will be presented next year by myslf, Signe Isager of Odense University, and by Pontus Hellström and Marianne Wifstrand
Schiebe of Uppsala University.

Fig. 6. Olympichos inscription.

In order to facilitate future reaearch on the archaeological material discovered during the excavations at Labranda we are discussing
with Turkish authorities the possibility of transferring all the material to Milas museum. Today, a part of the archaeological material is
being stored at the museum in Izmir, which in the 1940s and 50s was the nearest central museum. When the museum in Bodrum was
established in the 1960s, further Labranda material, above all marble fragments of sculpture and inscriptions, were transferred there.
The finds from the latest decade are in the new museum in Milas. In 2003 and during this year we visited the museum in Bodrum in
order to inventory the material from Labranda that is kept there. This year we did the same in the museum in Izmir. With the assistance
of the personel in these museums we have been able to rediscover most of the archaeological finds from the early excavations. It is
our wish and goal that all this material shall be transferred to the museum in Milas.

Fig. 7 Sphinx in Bodrum

The campaign of 2004 was very successful. We have executed an advanced laser scanning of Andron A, documented and produced
a digital plan of the preserved remains of the Sacred Road, the spring houses and tombs. We have also cleaned, measured and started
producing detailed archaeological plans of the fort on the acropolis and the towers in the vicinity of Labranda. We have cleared the
sanctuary from destructive vegetation, we have visited the museums in Izmir and Bodrum in the search for Labrandra material.
Furthermore, we have had discussions with the governor in Mugla (the Vali) about a new ticket office, toilets and the covering of the
modern road with new asphalt.

Lars Karlsson