Aksaz Thermal Complex: An Evaluation in Terms of Glass Finds and Settlement Archaeology

Abstract

The Aksaz thermal complex is located 48 km southwest of the centre of Uşak province, 18 km southwest of Ulubey district and 4.3 km southeast of Aksaz village. Blaundos (Sülümenli) is 10 km northeast of the spa, Motello (Bekilli) 24 km east and Tripolis (Buldan) 33 km southwest. Since many illegal excavations were discovered in the area in 1994, rescue excavations were carried out by a team from the Uşak Museum Directorate. The Aksaz stream is on the northern boundary of the bath where the rescue excavations were carried out and it was found that there were many hot water springs around the bath. This bath complex, which seems to have been in use from the Hellenistic to the Byzantine periods, was unfortunately abandoned after the rescue excavations and has been further destroyed by illegal excavations. The aim of this study is to emphasise the need for new additions to the road routes indicated by D. French with the existence of this archaeological site, by evaluating a thermal structure that has survived for hundreds of years in a rural settlement area and the uses of the glass found here.