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Abstract

During the excavations of the Istanbul Archaeological Museum for the Marmaray Project, which will connect two sides of the Bosphorus by rail tube tunnel, an ancient Byzantine Port (Port of Theodosius) was explored around Yenikapı, district of Istanbul. The aim of the study is to understand the stratigraphical sequence observed in the excavation site, to recognize the traces of natural events observed within the sequence and to reach the geoarcheological data that will provide contribution to the archeological studies by geological findings. The sequence studied in the Yenikapý Excavation site was divided into 9 different units. The sequence is transgressive from 1st to 7th unit and regressive from 7th unit, to upper part of the 8th unit. These investigated sequences have been deposited during the last 8000 years. 32 ancient shipwrecks were detected in three different geological layers of nine units which were dated to the 6th century, 7th, 8th, 9th centuries and 10th, 11th centuries respectively. The 4th unit was formed under the effect of an earthquake and following tsunami waves occurred in A.D. 557. It is considered that some of the districts of Istanbul which are very close to shore have submerged by the effect of tsunami waves during the earthquakes in A.D. 553 and 557. It was also considened that the reason of the sinlang of the was 25 Byzantine vessels a very strong storm that affected the coasts of Istanbul city. The traces of this storm are detected in 5th and 6th units.

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