Pursuing Pilgrims: Strontium Analysis in Southwestern Turkey

The mobility of archaeological human populations has long been of interest to archaeologists, and the application of strontium isotope analysis (87Sr/86Sr) to further these investigations is now quite prevalent in many areas of the world. However, to date, little analysis of this type has been conducted in Turkey. The research outlined in this dissertation describes the application of strontium analysis in Turkey, specifically to characterize the mobility of Roman and Late Antique (1st – 7th centuries) and Byzantine (9th – 13th centuries) populations at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hierapolis (southwestern Turkey). This site is an ideal location to investigate the interment of non-locals in the city's surrounding necropoleis since it was an important pilgrimage site. A baseline strontium map and a predictive strontium map were created using data from modern plant and snail samples collected from 87 different locations in southwestern Turkey. In total, 283 plant and snail samples were measured for strontium isotope analysis in this dissertation, and the map presented in this dissertation is the first created for this region. These maps allowed for the interpretation of the 47 individuals analyzed from the site of Hierapolis. Of the 47 individuals analyzed, the majority exhibit local strontium isotope values with only a few individuals having values outside the local range. Variation in human 87Sr/86Sr ratios can be seen in the Byzantine period in three male signatures. The maps created for this research can also be used to investigate mobility at a multitude of other archaeological sites, both prehistoric and historic, in the southwestern Turkey region.