RURAL SETTLEMENT, SPACE AND ECONOMIC PRODUCTION IN LATE ANTIQUE SOUTHERN ASIA MINOR: CILICIA, PAMPHYLIA AND LYCIA (3RD – 6TH CENTURY AD)

Date

2026-2-23

Author

Aytekin, Çiğdem

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This dissertation explores the distribution, diversity, and spatial structuring of rural settlements in Southern Asia Minor during Late Antiquity, focusing on the provinces of Cilicia, Pamphylia, and Lycia, to examine the articulation of rural landscapes through a relational framework that considers habitation and production spheres together. Rather than approaching the countryside as a passive periphery of urban centers, the study conceptualizes the chora as a dynamic and relational spatial framework in which habitation, production, and regional interaction converged. Through a multi-scalar methodology, the research analyzes architectural configurations, settlement distribution, and production infrastructures to evaluate the changing relationship between cities and their rural territories between the third and sixth centuries AD. The findings demonstrate that Late Antiquity was not merely a period of decline but one of structural reorganization. Rural settlements increased in number, diversified in form, and assumed a more active role within regional economic systems. Across the three provinces, farms and villages functioned as nodal components of decentralized production networks, contributing to supply chains that connected interior landscapes with coastal and urban centers. Architectural variability and spatial positioning reflect adaptive strategies shaped by geography, security concerns, and economic restructuring. By foregrounding rural habitation and settlement hierarchies, this dissertation redefines the analytical significance of the chora and contributes to broader debates on Roman economic organization, resilience, and the complexity of urban–rural relations in the eastern Mediterranean.

Subject Keywords

Chora, Connectivity, Late Antiquity, Southern Asia Minor, Farm

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/118744

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis