Characterization and Provenance Analysis of the Architectural Building Stones at the Stratonikeia Theater in Yatağan, Muğla, Southwest Türkiye, With Determination of Its Construction History Through Osl

Abstract

Stratonikeia, a city in the interior of the Caria region, is located at the settlement of Eskihisar within the borders of Yatağan District in Muğla Province. The ancient city’s foundation dates back to 5000 BC, making it one of the oldest settlements in southwest Türkiye. It is strategically located between the Inner Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean regions. Due to its location, the city has been important throughout its history. The Greek type of theater, which is the main topic of this paper, is one of the most remarkable structures known to date from the Hellenistic period and is made of marble blocks. Macroscopic investigations reveal that the marble blocks of the theater are pure white, medium-to-fine crystalline, and their dimensions range from 165 × 45 × 40 to 210 × 50 × 90 cm. In addition to their whiteness, the most characteristic feature of these marble blocks is that they are almost entirely pure (they do not contain opaque or accessory minerals or colored veins). Microscopically, the white marble blocks have heteroblastic polygonal (less heteroblastic mosaic) textures and chiefly consist of calcite minerals (negligible amounts of dolomite, quartz, muscovite, and opaque minerals). These results are supported by X-ray powder diffraction and confocal Raman spectrometer studies. Field observations, mineropetrographic data, and geochemical data suggest that the theater marble may have been obtained from ancient marble quarries around Eskihisar. Based on the results of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), it can be suggested that the construction of the theater building began around the 2nd century BC and lasted until the 1st century AD. After that, it was strengthened in the 3rd–4th century and later repurposed as an open-air church, with additional reinforcement in the 5th–6th century. The OSL ages calculated from the experimental results match the known archaeological record of the theater’s construction. © TÜBİTAK.