Located in the Antalya plain and the immediate northern part of this plain, Pamphylia was home to well-known ancient Anatolian cities Aspendos, Perge, Side and Sillyon. It can be claimed that these cities have been relatively well-researched archaeological settlements through archaeological excavations and surveys. Although the mentioned cities are archaeologically important elements of Pamphylia, the region also harbours numerous rural settlements and findspots. Especially, the cultural heritage registration activities in recent years have clearly revealed the dense human occupation and certain settlement trends in the region. Moreover, rescue excavations and individual findspots have revealed that the pre-Roman period of the region’s countryside can be dated back to at least the fifth century BCE. On the other hand, archaeological research in the region mainly focuses on the major cities and their material culture. With some exceptions such as Lyrboton Kome, the number of studies on the region’s countryside is much less compared to those of urban-focused ones. In addition, there is relatively little interest in regional-scale research that holistically deals with the rural settlements of the region. Based on these arguments, in this study, the current state of the countryside of Pamphylia will be evaluated in the light of current research and available evidence. Thus, this work also aims to establish a baseline study and starting point for future research on Pamphylia’s lesser-known countryside.

Keywords: Pamphylia, Ancient Anatolian Countryside, Archaeology of Antalya, Mediterranean