The Multifaceted Port System of Pergamon’s Sea Front : Elaia, Pitane, Kane, and Beyond
Résumé
The Kane-Peninsula in modern-day Turkey is a promontory blocking great parts of the Kaikos
valley from the sea. Within a coastline of approximately 45 km at least three harbor cities
were located in antiquity: Elaia, Pitane and Kane. To understand the various ports, anchorages
and landings along the Kane peninsula and the Bay of Elaia, the Kane Regional Harbour
Survey has been conducted since 2014 (DAI Istanbul – University Cologne – ERC RomPort).
The project was conceptualized as a multi-disciplinary archaeological project including
geophysical and shallow-water geoarchaeological prospections. In conjunction with the latest
research in Elaia, the harbor city of Pergamon, the project offered the chance to study the
coastal zone of a micro-region with a hierarchy of major and minor ports and bays suitable for
cabotage and their relationship to Pergamon in a diachronic perspective. Furthermore, this
region is also a good example to investigate the changes in the location, the maritime
infrastructure, the economic and political importance as well as the frequentation of harbour
sites during the Roman period compared to the Classic and Hellenistic era.
In this paper we will outline the development of Pegamon’s sea front in a diachronic
perspective from the Classical era to Roman Imperial times based on the latest research along
the coast of the Kane peninsula and the Bay of Elaia. On the one hand, we will concentrate on
the major port cities of Kane, Pitane, and Elaia, their historic development and their maritime
infrastructure. On the other hand, we will introduce minor anchorages and coastal sites and
ask for their significance within the local harbor networks. Key questions are: How did the
different port cities and anchorages relate to each other? How did the harbour infrastructure
and facilities develop from Classical to Roman Imperial times? What were the driving factors
that changed the local maritime networks and the relevance of the different port cities?