Vergnaud, Baptiste

French Institute of Anatolian Studies

Research Topic: Labraunda and Eurômos : Archaeology and History of Inland Caria Fortifications in the Classical and Hellenistic Periods

For almost a decade, Anatolia has been the main focus of my research. Dr.Vargnaud’s MA thesis and doctoral dissertation were both dedicated to the study of Anatolian fortifications. He has got his PhD from Bordeaux University in 2012.

He joined the Swedish expedition in Labraunda (Caria) in 2010 and since 2012. He is conducting excavations on the Classical and Hellenistic fortress dominating the sanctuary of Zeus Labraundos. In 2014, he started a new project focusing on the city walls of the neighbouring site of Eurômos.

His research aims at providing the first comprehensive archaeological documentation of Carian fortifications from Classical and Hellenistic periods through the study of two different sites – a city and a rural fortress – within a small geographical area (inland Caria). What makes this project original is that, in Caria, no fortification has ever been dated through stratigraphical analysis. Providing a precise date for the construction and the use of these monuments will ultimately help filling the gaps in Carian political and military history, especially in the aftermath of Alexander the Great’s conquest.

The research on the field has yielded very interesting results regarding the chronology of these two defense systems but it has also provided a tremendous amount of information concerning daily life inside these constructions. His time at ANAMED he will be dedicated to the treatment of the fieldwork data from both Eurômos and Labraunda and to the redaction of the monograph on Labraunda defensive network.