Luminescence dating and mineralogical investigations of bricks from erikli basilica in Stratonikeia ancient city (SW-Turkey)

Abstract

Stratonikeia is one of the oldest settlements in southwestern Anatolia and at the same time significant for an understanding of the Hellenistic period. Archaeological records of Stratonikeia date back to around 2000 BC. This study provides new information not only about luminescence age but also about mineralo-petrographic, geochemical characteristics of bricks taken from Erikli Basilica in Stratonikeia (Turkey). In this study, mineralogical data of TL and OSL dating of two bricks and two sediment samples will be presented. The bricks have highly similar mineralogical composition, consisting mainly of quartz and muscovite. These results are supported by XRD studies. In order to perform the thermoluminescence (TL) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, the equivalent dose (ED) and the annual dose (AD) of the samples were determined using different estimation techniques. The TL ages of bricks are determined to be 1189±89 and 576±40 years. The IRSL ages of the bricks are determined to be 1167±85 years and 545±50 years. Additionally, supporting the TL and IRSL ages, the OSL quartz ages of the two sediments obtained from the top of the layer under the floor are discovered to be about 1100 years. Mineralo-petrographic, geochemical, dating and archaeological studies have revealed that the age of bricks is different from each other. Furthermore, Erikli Basillica was built in bricks, consisting of raw materials taken from different quarries in different periods. Within the framework, the first report of the experimental approach has been published from Stratonikeia archaeological site located in Muğla, Agean Anatolia. © 2018 MAA Open Access. Printed in Greece. All rights reserved.