Archaeological Survey at Notion / Colophon-by-the-Sea
A survey of the ancient Ionian city of Notion / Colophon-by-the-Sea
Description
Notion, also known as Colophon-by-the-Sea, was an ancient Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia. A comprehensive archaeological survey carried out by the University of Michigan and Brown University (2014–21) yielded rich ceramic evidence for the chronology and commercial connections of the settlement, clarified essential aspects of the city plan, provided opportunities for detailed study of major buildings and public works, and shed new light on both the local geology and the modification of the landscape through terracing and stone extraction. These investigations documented a major program of urban development featuring new fortifications and a new city plan in the early to mid-third century BCE, three centuries of prosperous habitation, and the substantial abandonment of the city in the early first century CE. The archaeology of Notion provides vivid evidence for the turbulent history of Ionia in Hellenistic times, and for the different responses of local communities to Roman rule.
Christopher Ratté is Professor of Ancient Mediterranean Art and Archaeology at the University of Michigan.
Felipe Rojas is Associate Professor of Archaeology at Brown University.
Angela Commito is Senior Lecturer in Classical Archaeology at Union College.
Reviews
“Archaeological Survey at Notion / Colophon-by-the-Sea is poised to impact our understanding of ancient regional interactions, urban resilience, and the socio-political dynamics in a contested landscape, making this work an extremely valuable resource for future scholarship. This is a fundamental work that will serve as the basis for any future work on Notion."
- Martin Steskal, Austrian Archaeological Institute
“Archaeological Survey at Notion / Colophon-by-the-Sea addresses a wide audience of scholars and students interested in a great variety of subjects including survey methodologies and approaches, urbanization, the Hellenistic Age, Ionia, and specifically Notion."
- Elif Koparal, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University