The Building Site of the Temple of Dionysus in Teos: Some Preliminary Results for the Reconstruction of the Chaîne Opératoire

The Temple of Dionysus in Teos in Asia Minor (Izmir, Turkey), whose construction began in the late 3rd century BC and ended in the imperial period under Hadrian’s reign, is one of the most significant buildings for the study of ancient architecture, as it is mentioned in the famous work De Architectura by Vitruvius as an example of eustyle temple, designed by the architect Hermogenes during the Hellenistic time. An ongoing research project, thanks to the collaboration between the Teos Archaeological Project (Ankara University), Sapienza University of Rome, and CNR-ISPC, focuses on the Temple to reconstruct its biography, from the architectural project to the building site, its various phases, and its decoration. A detailed analysis of the ancient construction practices adopted in the building site is conducted through the innovative application of the traceological method to the study of ancient architecture: thousands of blocks scattered in the temple area are investigated through the systematic cataloguing of traces of tools on the marble surfaces, and the morphological and dimensional features of clamp-, dowel- and pry hollows. This analysis allows the reconstruction of technical procedures (chaîne opératoire) (for moving, lifting, carving and connecting the blocks) and is intended to assess i) the relative and absolute chronology of the different sectors of the temple, ii) the organization of various working groups; iii) the technical know-how shared by the stonemasons; iv) the socio-economic implications of the project in terms of time, workforce and materials. The poster presents some preliminary results of the research on the organisation and temporal development of the building site of the Temple.