Uploaded June 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
An Anatolian Studies Virtual Seminar with Ergün Laflı (Dokuz Eylül University) and Maurizio Buora (Società Friuliana di Archeologia). Please see below for an English overview of Maurizio Buora's talk.
This seminar presents and discusses mainly four Latin tombstones relating to Italian residents of medieval Ephesus that have been recovered from properties on the terrace of Ayasuluk (Selçuk). Two of them, dating from the late fourteenth century, were originally published in 1937, while the other two, from the mid-fifteenth century, came to light more recently in January 2017. Research on the tombstones was carried out with the assistance of Denys Pringle (Cardiff University).
Find out more on our website: biaa.ac.uk/event/frankish-gravestones-in-the-eastern-aegean-from-the-medieval-period
Read the full article in Anatolian Studies: cambridge.org/core/journals/anatolian-studies/article/abs/four-frankish-gravestones-from-medieval-ephesus/C8E9992DE1EA4CE1815B0FD98F36D220
Here is an English description of Dr Maurizio Buora's German talk provided by Professor Ergün Laflı:
Dr Buora speaks on the occupation of the höyük site in Ayasuluk. The Italian presence in Ayasuluk was there mainly in the 14th and 15th centuries. The Turkish settlement began in the 14th century. The first Italian inscription was first published in 1937.
The first funerary stone was a spolia. It was the gravestone of a bishop of Tana from 1384s. Here it is not referred to with a surname. The bishop resided in Ephesus for a while because of the church of St John.
The second funerary stone was also found in the early years of the 20th century. It was a tombstone of G. Imperiale. In the middle of the stone, there is a shield of Genoese origin. It related to the family and their identity with Genoa. The person was also in Famagusta in Cyprus.
In 2017 two funerary gravestones were found and transferred by Turkish Gendarmerie to the Ephesus Archaeological Museum in Selçuk. They are fragmented and were re-used as door pivot posts, perhaps in houses near St John's basilica.
The lines and letters are not even. There are lots of vacant spaces, and they are challenging to read, so they are primarily illegible, and our reading is speculative. The first two lines are especially difficult to decipher. It is perhaps a stone belonging to a family from Ravenna or a Venetian family from Ravenna.
They should date again to the late 14th and early years of the 15th century, as the serifs could be helpful. A comparative stone from Istanbul could present a connected inscription. The last two lines were reconstructed after the standard formulae in Latin inscriptions of the Late Medieval period.
The name is known in the history of Ravenna. Perhaps the inscription was paved on the floor, which is the reason why it became illegible. After conservation, it would be read more easily. Not everything can be read on the stone, but the name Barthelameo is quite clear. A figure is depicted perhaps as a saint between two columns.
What can these inscriptions tell us? They evidence two Italian families in Ephesus during the 14th-15th centuries under Turkish dominance at the site. The last inscription has no date on it, but there are some Italian graffiti in the Cave of Seven Sleepers.
In the late 14th century, Ephesus was conquered by Seljuk Turks again. These stones were perhaps set in the courtyard of St John's basilica. Maybe one should also expect graves of some emperors in this area on top of Ayasuluk hill.
It is unknown if these graves were directly buried within the church's grounds or somewhere next to it, but there was more than one building in the area.
Dr Maurizio Buora thanks you for listening to his talk.
An Anatolian Studies Virtual Seminar with Ergün Laflı (Dokuz Eylül University) and Maurizio Buora (Società Friuliana di Archeologia). Please see below for an English overview of Maurizio Buora's talk.
This seminar presents and discusses mainly four Latin tombstones relating to Italian residents of medieval Ephesus that have been recovered from properties on the terrace of Ayasuluk (Selçuk). Two of them, dating from the late fourteenth century, were originally published in 1937, while the other two, from the mid-fifteenth century, came to light more recently in January 2017. Research on the tombstones was carried out with the assistance of Denys Pringle (Cardiff University).
Find out more on our website: biaa.ac.uk/event/frankish-gravestones-in-the-eastern-aegean-from-the-medieval-period
Read the full article in Anatolian Studies: cambridge.org/core/journals/anatolian-studies/article/abs/four-frankish-gravestones-from-medieval-ephesus/C8E9992DE1EA4CE1815B0FD98F36D220
Here is an English description of Dr Maurizio Buora's German talk provided by Professor Ergün Laflı:
Dr Buora speaks on the occupation of the höyük site in Ayasuluk. The Italian presence in Ayasuluk was there mainly in the 14th and 15th centuries. The Turkish settlement began in the 14th century. The first Italian inscription was first published in 1937.
The first funerary stone was a spolia. It was the gravestone of a bishop of Tana from 1384s. Here it is not referred to with a surname. The bishop resided in Ephesus for a while because of the church of St John.
The second funerary stone was also found in the early years of the 20th century. It was a tombstone of G. Imperiale. In the middle of the stone, there is a shield of Genoese origin. It related to the family and their identity with Genoa. The person was also in Famagusta in Cyprus.
In 2017 two funerary gravestones were found and transferred by Turkish Gendarmerie to the Ephesus Archaeological Museum in Selçuk. They are fragmented and were re-used as door pivot posts, perhaps in houses near St John's basilica.
The lines and letters are not even. There are lots of vacant spaces, and they are challenging to read, so they are primarily illegible, and our reading is speculative. The first two lines are especially difficult to decipher. It is perhaps a stone belonging to a family from Ravenna or a Venetian family from Ravenna.
They should date again to the late 14th and early years of the 15th century, as the serifs could be helpful. A comparative stone from Istanbul could present a connected inscription. The last two lines were reconstructed after the standard formulae in Latin inscriptions of the Late Medieval period.
The name is known in the history of Ravenna. Perhaps the inscription was paved on the floor, which is the reason why it became illegible. After conservation, it would be read more easily. Not everything can be read on the stone, but the name Barthelameo is quite clear. A figure is depicted perhaps as a saint between two columns.
What can these inscriptions tell us? They evidence two Italian families in Ephesus during the 14th-15th centuries under Turkish dominance at the site. The last inscription has no date on it, but there are some Italian graffiti in the Cave of Seven Sleepers.
In the late 14th century, Ephesus was conquered by Seljuk Turks again. These stones were perhaps set in the courtyard of St John's basilica. Maybe one should also expect graves of some emperors in this area on top of Ayasuluk hill.
It is unknown if these graves were directly buried within the church's grounds or somewhere next to it, but there was more than one building in the area.
Dr Maurizio Buora thanks you for listening to his talk.
