Seismic Investigation for the Temple of Antioch Reconstruction

Founded in the middle of the 1 st century A.D., Antiocheia ad Cragum was one of the larger Roman cities of the Mediterranean coast region of modern Turkey. This coastal region of Anatolia was known as Rough Cilicia in antiquity. The ancient city, now in a state of ruin, includes an imperial Temple, which was first identified by archaeologists in the 1960s. In 2004, a new project started, with the goal of studying, excavating, and perhaps partially restoring the Temple to a state of “site museum”. Several theories have been postulated regarding the collapse of the original temple. Since the temple is located near the East Anatolian Fault, it is highly probable that a seismic event aided in the collapse. In order to better understand the performance of the temple under seismic loading, virtual and physical models of the temple are being created. This paper provides an overview of the project and details the progress being made in seismic analysis. The first author is the architectural engineering director of this project that is conducted in collaboration with art historians and archaeologists, and under the observations and rules of the Turkish Ministry of Culture.