DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4855#0010
ANCIENT MONUMENTS OF LYDIA AND PHRYGIA. 5
Strange to say, we could find no one to give us any information respecting Dogan-lu and its Dogan-iu.
monument! yet, according to Col. Leake's description, it ought not to be at any great distance from
Kiutaieh. They pointed out a place of the name of Dogan-lar, lying in a south-east direction, Dogan-iar.
but the bearings of the other ought to have been in a northerly one. We had, however, no other
resource except giving up the chase altogether; but this being an alternative I was not yet inclined
to adopt, and although every one who knew any thing of Dogan-lar assured us that there were no
antiquities of any kind in that neighbourhood, we set about engaging horses, and at eleven o'clock on
Wednesday, the 17th of May, we started, in company with a government surajee. We reached
Dogan-lar after a ride of about five hours, and put up at the Aga's. From the information he gave us,
I was soon convinced that we were quite wrong in our route; but as he said there were some exca-
vations about four hours off, we agreed to repair thither next morning. The Aga himself accompanied
us in quality of cicerone, and we found the road very agreeable. It lay in a northerly direction, and
passed through a well-cultivated country for about two hours; after which we began to ascend, entering
a wood of pines and cedars, the road being frequently gravelled like that of a well-kept park. After two
hours more we came to a spot in a ravine, with a fountain and many ruins, vaults, and subterraneous
water-courses. There were also many sarcophagi, but all of them had been rifled. A lad here, who was
tending a few sheep, came forward and volunteered to guide us to an old building, constructed, as he
said, of large stones; and in about twenty minutes of a difficult ascent through a craggy thicket, he led
us to the singular structure which is represented in Plate IV. It proved to be a sepulchral chamber or Sepulchral vault.
vault, built of stones of great size. The front presented a very handsome arch (about fifteen feet high),
supported on each side by plainly ornamented projections, the breadth of the building being about
twenty feet. The entrance was by a small square door, above which was a moulding in the same style
as the projections ; and on each side were the remains of a cornice with dentils, the whole bearing the
stamp of high antiquity. This monument being placed in a ravine on rising ground, its further
extremity gradually falls in with the level of, and is closed by, the rock: in front, many large squared
stones were lying about—they had probably formed a portico or approach to the tomb. The length
of the building was about twenty-three feet. In the inside were six sarcophagi, three on each side :
those on the right were cut out in the rock, with plain covers of the usual form, that is to say, in the
shape of a house-top; the three on the left were detached— two of them had been broken up; the
whole had, as usual, been opened : a slight hollow border or edging, carried round the vault about half
way up, was the only ornament; and I could see no appearance whatever of inscriptions. Numerous
bats were hovering about, or, suspended from the vault by their claws, were swinging to and fro,
making a chirping noise, their heads and ears in constant movement, and altogether more lively than I
had ever observed in this secluded class of animals.
The tomb is surrounded by pine-trees of large size and dwarf oaks; it stands in a recess, so
secluded, that without a guide it would have been almost impossible to discover it: the solid parts
were all in a very perfect state. I have no doubt that it must have been the mausoleum of some
powerful chieftain, and I was strongly impressed with the idea that, should ever the tumuli of the
Lydian kings be laid open, the tombs which they surmount and conceal will prove to be of a similar
construction.
* Returning to my party, who had left me occupied in making a sketch of the tomb, I found we Affghan-kiii
had formed acquaintance with some Yuruks who were encamped in the vicinity. They shewed us all
about the place, and although we saw nothing particularly striking, it was evident that considerable
habitations had formerly existed here. These Yuruks are a strong, hardy, active race—their order or
camp is called Affghan-kin. They invited us to partake of refreshment in the tent of their chief, which
Strange to say, we could find no one to give us any information respecting Dogan-lu and its Dogan-iu.
monument! yet, according to Col. Leake's description, it ought not to be at any great distance from
Kiutaieh. They pointed out a place of the name of Dogan-lar, lying in a south-east direction, Dogan-iar.
but the bearings of the other ought to have been in a northerly one. We had, however, no other
resource except giving up the chase altogether; but this being an alternative I was not yet inclined
to adopt, and although every one who knew any thing of Dogan-lar assured us that there were no
antiquities of any kind in that neighbourhood, we set about engaging horses, and at eleven o'clock on
Wednesday, the 17th of May, we started, in company with a government surajee. We reached
Dogan-lar after a ride of about five hours, and put up at the Aga's. From the information he gave us,
I was soon convinced that we were quite wrong in our route; but as he said there were some exca-
vations about four hours off, we agreed to repair thither next morning. The Aga himself accompanied
us in quality of cicerone, and we found the road very agreeable. It lay in a northerly direction, and
passed through a well-cultivated country for about two hours; after which we began to ascend, entering
a wood of pines and cedars, the road being frequently gravelled like that of a well-kept park. After two
hours more we came to a spot in a ravine, with a fountain and many ruins, vaults, and subterraneous
water-courses. There were also many sarcophagi, but all of them had been rifled. A lad here, who was
tending a few sheep, came forward and volunteered to guide us to an old building, constructed, as he
said, of large stones; and in about twenty minutes of a difficult ascent through a craggy thicket, he led
us to the singular structure which is represented in Plate IV. It proved to be a sepulchral chamber or Sepulchral vault.
vault, built of stones of great size. The front presented a very handsome arch (about fifteen feet high),
supported on each side by plainly ornamented projections, the breadth of the building being about
twenty feet. The entrance was by a small square door, above which was a moulding in the same style
as the projections ; and on each side were the remains of a cornice with dentils, the whole bearing the
stamp of high antiquity. This monument being placed in a ravine on rising ground, its further
extremity gradually falls in with the level of, and is closed by, the rock: in front, many large squared
stones were lying about—they had probably formed a portico or approach to the tomb. The length
of the building was about twenty-three feet. In the inside were six sarcophagi, three on each side :
those on the right were cut out in the rock, with plain covers of the usual form, that is to say, in the
shape of a house-top; the three on the left were detached— two of them had been broken up; the
whole had, as usual, been opened : a slight hollow border or edging, carried round the vault about half
way up, was the only ornament; and I could see no appearance whatever of inscriptions. Numerous
bats were hovering about, or, suspended from the vault by their claws, were swinging to and fro,
making a chirping noise, their heads and ears in constant movement, and altogether more lively than I
had ever observed in this secluded class of animals.
The tomb is surrounded by pine-trees of large size and dwarf oaks; it stands in a recess, so
secluded, that without a guide it would have been almost impossible to discover it: the solid parts
were all in a very perfect state. I have no doubt that it must have been the mausoleum of some
powerful chieftain, and I was strongly impressed with the idea that, should ever the tumuli of the
Lydian kings be laid open, the tombs which they surmount and conceal will prove to be of a similar
construction.
* Returning to my party, who had left me occupied in making a sketch of the tomb, I found we Affghan-kiii
had formed acquaintance with some Yuruks who were encamped in the vicinity. They shewed us all
about the place, and although we saw nothing particularly striking, it was evident that considerable
habitations had formerly existed here. These Yuruks are a strong, hardy, active race—their order or
camp is called Affghan-kin. They invited us to partake of refreshment in the tent of their chief, which