Rural Fortifications in the Region around Aphrodisias

ABSTRACT: This article presents five rural fortifications in the area around Aphrodisias, recorded in the course of the Aphrodisias Regional Survey (2005–2009). These include, to the north, a “Fluchtburg” and a heavily fortified citadel, and to the south, two isolated towers and a fortress that may be the acropolis of a small settlement. All are datable to the Late Classical and Hellenistic periods. Comparative analysis suggests that they were built independently by members of the regional elite to provide local security, rather than as elements of a coordinated defensive network. Thus they provide valuable information about the social organization and cultural attitudes of the inhabitants of the surrounding area in the early phases of the emergence of the regional urban center at Aphrodisias.