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In the 2015 excavation season, an east–west oriented burial (2015-Grave-14) built with large dimension stone blocks was unearthed on the south edge of “Area IVi” at the Balatlar Church in Sinop, on the northeastern Black Sea coast of Turkey. In this grave, which is dated between the end of the 6th century AD and the first half of the 7th century AD, a human skeleton was found with the head to the west and a cat skeleton was carefully placed next to the right femur. This study on the burial and the cat skeleton within it shows that, compared to the Roman period, the status of cats reached a higher level during the Byzantine period. It was found that alongside of being a pet, the Balatlar cat was a young healthy female individual that instinctively hunted rodents and birds, given that the remains of a rat and a sparrow were found in the region of the abdominal cavity, corresponding with the stomach location in the living animal. The grave presents the most significant direct archaeological evidence of a pet–human bond recorded at any Byzantine site so far.

This article presents a preliminary comparative stratigraphy of excavated sites in Plain Cilicia and one in Rough Cilicia. It is the outcome of three workshops held in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Plain Cilicia at the junction of Anatolia, Syro-Mesopotamia and Cyprus is one of the most fertile regions of the Ancient Near East. In recent years, archaeological research in the region has intensified, re-opening questions of chronology. The comparative stratigraphy discussed in the workshops is presented here in form of a gazetteer of the participating sites and a chart. This is to be understood as a first step towards a more comprehensive chronology.Keywords: Cilicia, chronology, comparative stratigraphy Introduction (Fig. 1)Plain Cilicia (gr. Kilikia Pedias, lat. Cilicia Campestris) is an alluvial fan covering approximately 8000 km 2 and one of the most fertile regions in modern-day Turkey.1 It is located at the junction of Anatolia, SyroMesopotamia and Cyprus, defined by natural borders: the Taurus Range to the west and north, the Amanus to the east and the Mediterranean to the south. The plain is divided into a western part on the coast (Çukurova) and an eastern inland part (Yukarıova). Natural passes through the mountains give access to the neighbouring regions: the Göksu (gr. Kalykadnos) Valley connects Plain to Rough Cilicia (gr. Kilikia Tracheia, lat. Cilicia Aspera) to the west, the well-known Cilician Gates (Gülek Boğazı) north of Tarsus, the route from Kozan via Feke and the Gezbel Pass (Hittite-Kizzuwatnean Caravan Route) 2 connect the region with the central Anatolian plateau, the Bahçe (Amanus Gates) and the Belen Pass (Syrian Gates) with the İslahiye Plain and the Amuq respectively. A number of rivers, originating in the Taurus Mountains, cross the lowlands and discharge into the Mediterranean: the four most important are the Göksu (gr. Kalykadnos), the Berdan or Tarsus Çayı (gr. Kydnos), the Seyhan (hitt. Šamri/Sapara, gr. Saros) and the Ceyhan (hitt. Puruna (?), gr. Pyramos). The fertile alluvial plain allows both dry-farming and irrigation agriculture which have supported a dense settlement pattern since the Neolithic period.The archaeological richness of the region has been well-known since the early excavations by Hetty Goldman in Tarsus 9 Excavation has recently intensified in the region, although few projects have focused on new sites (Fig. 1). Nevertheless, new data has been steadily accumulating, providing insights into the cultural history and archaeology of the Cilician Plain. The importance of a solid chronology based on a thorough comparative stratigraphy of all investigated sites is apparent.The purpose of a series of workshops was to initiate a dialogue among active archaeological projects in the region. The first Cilician Chronology Workshop took place in the expedition house of Sirkeli Topography and Excavation AreasExcavation in the Bronze and Iron Age levels was largely confined to the north-western corner of the mound, and to a 40 m strip trench across the centre of the mound,...

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Öz2010 yılında başlayana kazı çalışmalarıyla kimliği ve kullanım evreleri kesin olarak saptanabilen Balatlar Kilisesi Sinop kent tarihi içerisinde kullanılış gayesi net olarak bilinen yegâne yapıdır. Balatlar Kilisesi olarak literatürde tanınan ve ilk kuruluşunun Roma İmparatorluk Hamamı olduğu anlaşılan yapının frigidarium mekânında 2016, 2017 ve 2018 yıllarında ele geçen mozaik buluntuları Sinop ve çevresinde açığa çıkarılan mozaiklerden üslup ve ikonografik olarak ayrılan ünik bir malzemedir. Yapılan çalışmalarda ele geçen veriler ve üslup analizleri sonucunda 4. yüzyıl sonu ile 5. yüzyılın başına tarihlendirilecek olan opus tesselatum tekniğinde yapılmış mozaikler kendine has kompozisyon düzenleri ile de Bizans sanatı ve Hristiyan ikonografisi içerisinde önemli bir yere sahiptir. Balatlar Kilisesi Kazısı'nda açığa çıkarılan bu mozaik buluntular içerisinde en dikkat çekici örneklerden biri refrigerium konulu sahneler barındıran 3 ve 6 numaralı mozaik panolardır. Bilindiği üzere ferahlama anlamına gelen refrigerium bir cennet ön gösterimi olarak Bizans sanatında uzun yıllar boyunca sıklıkla tasvir edilmiş bir sahnedir. Özellikle Erken Bizans döneminde çok geniş bir coğrafyaya yayılmış olan refrigerium sahnelerinin değişik malzemelerden yapılmış sanat eserleri üzerinde farklı çeşitleri betimlenmiştir. Çalışmada Balatlar Kilisesi örnekleri değerlendirilerek Bizans sanatı içerisinde sıklıkla karşılaşılan konulu sahnelerden biri olan refrigerium konu gelişimi içerisindeki yeri ve önemi saptanacaktır.