The small ancient city of Aperlae, Turkey, was brought back to life for those in attendance at a lecture held last night by Professor Robert Vann at the University Museum.
Vann, a professor at the University of Maryland, spoke at length about the architectural survey research he has conducted in the partially submerged city of Aperlae.
He began by outlaying the geography of Aperlae, noting the ancient harbor town of southern Turkey was extremely small, the believed occupancy being just under 1,000 people.
Vann explained the focus question of his research was, "How to give this small town its personality again?"
For Vann and his colleagues, this question was answered through their architectural discoveries. Since 1996, the team has worked to recreate the town's layout.
Though the ancient town was small in size, Vann said the "sheer amount of material left on the hill created a need for several more years of research than originally planned."
Using slides, Vann showed lecture attendees the fortification system that helped protect the town, which is believed to have been founded in the third century A.D.
He went on to explain the murex shells he and his team found in great numbers. Vann theorized these formed the basis of Aperlae's economy.
"They had to be used for the commercial production of the purple dye" popularly used in the textile industry at the time, according to Vann.
Vann then jumped ahead several centuries to discuss the city's "overabundance of small churches," which he explained as a byproduct of the pilgrimage settlement in the nearby major city of Myra.
After discussing the Aperlaen churches' architectural structures, Vann concluded his lecture by expressing the continuance of this research.
"Obviously, everything begs for additional information," he said. "The urgency of survey work, I think, is important. Now is the time to go and record what is left because some of it will disappear in the near future."
Those in attendance agreed with Vann's comments and said they highly enjoyed the night's lecture.
"I was there myself and I found it very interesting," said Samy Rabinovic, owner of Samy's Turkey and Central Asia Tours. "I was particularly interested by the murex shells that they found because it was so important to the textile industry due to the purple dye."
The night's event was co-sponsored by the University Museum, the American Research Institute in Turkey and the American Turkish Council.
Cultural Program Director for the American Turkish Council Louis Kahn expressed his content with the event.
"I thought the lecture was extraordinary and fascinating; very colorful.... It brought back many pleasant memories of the Turquoise Coast."
