Pisidian Roads

Pisidia

Pisidia is the name given to the province in the Taurus mountains adjoining Lycia and continuing eastwards nearly as far as Konya. It had no outlet to the sea – the southern plain consisted of the separate province of Pamphylia. Pisidia had almost no flat land except for some low hills, marshland and lakes abutting the Taurus in the north. The independent cities of Pisidia were well established before Alexander the Great marched through; for the first time in Asia, an independent city – Termessos – repulsed his armies.

For years the Romans failed to subdue the Pisidian tribes so in 6 BC, they built an encircling road, the Via Sebaste (Road of the Emperor), in an effort to contain and civilize the province. Here, the Romans founded or refounded a series of Colonia – Imperial cities where retired soldiers were settled. Well before the Roman occupation, the native cities of Pisidia had been fortified and were linked by a network of roads. Local resources were limited to marble, timber and livestock farming but the Pisidians probably traded timber by floating logs down the major rivers to the Pamphlian coastal ports.

Pisidian Roads

Pisidia is cut by three rivers flowing north – south – the Kestros (Aksu), the Eurymedon (Köprülü Çay) and the Melas (which forms the eastern boundary). These rivers run in deep canyons, which impede land travel. Pisidia was isolated from the rest of Asia Minor and developed a unique road system which made full use of the plentiful local resource – limestone. Pisidian roads were built on ramps constructed diagonally across hillsides. On the lower side, a dry-stone wall of large roughly-shaped stones was constructed on bare rock. On several roadways, particularly those climbing steep hills to the entrances to cities, the roads were surfaced with a layer of rectangular blocks at right-angles to the road. These stones were fitted together with great precision so that the road surface was either uniformly sloping or very evenly stepped. Such roads could have been used by wheeled vehicles, but signs of wheel wear are absent.

As these roads reached easier ground, they are laid out in a conventional way. This may be as a raised causeway across damp ground, or with a gravel surface bordered by a retaining wall. Around the Eurymedon pebbles from the coarse aggregate rock have been used to pave roads winding between upright rocks, creating a sculptured landscape.

Apart from city walls, unlike in Lycia, there are few defensive buildings – as an inland province, coastal watchtowers were not required. The canyons were well equipped with bridges, which probably had guard-posts; some have been swept away by floods. Apollo reliefs are often positioned at the entrance to southern Pisidian cities (Termessos, Pednelissos, Melli, Sia?) in order to protect travellers.

The Via Sebaste, which encircled the province, had at least one road monument, a mansio or rest-place for travellers, and the Colonia cities which it linked were often equipped with aqueducts – that at Antioch in Pisidia is a very impressive construction.

Mapping Pisidia Roads

The Pisidia Survey Project, established by Stephen Mitchell of Exeter University (UK) is now directed by Lutgarde Vandeput of the British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara. The aim of the project is to study these settlements of Pisidia, rather than the roads between them but the Pisidian Heritage Trail project became an extension of this project. Sponsored by the Headley Trust and the British Institute of Archaeology in Ankara, a network of roads known as the ‘Pisidian Heritage Trail’ linking the major southern Pisidia sites (map) has been surveyed. This 350km network, announced in July 2016, is currently being waymarked, and a few tourism firms are offering walking tours. There is some overlap between the St Paul Trail and the Pisidian Heritage Trail, especially in the linking section between the Lycian Way and the St Paul Trail.