Ceyhan Karadağ Roman Dam (Karadağ–Ceyhan Saddle Dam, Cilician Plain)

Why it mattersOnly extant Severan saddle dam on Cilician plain linking Ceyhan Karadağ hillslope capture to arched aqueduct — estate hydraulic model.

Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.

Built

c.198 CE (Severan, milestone CIL 12242)

Period

Roman Severan 198 CE (Septimius Severus) Cilicia

Culture

Roman Cilician plain estate economy

Builders

Cilician estate engineers Severan (Septimius Severus via milestone)

Purpose

Hillslope saddle dam 280 m 8.8 m trapping 65,000 m³ from Karadağ basalt cone to 28 ha estate via 2.2 km arched aqueduct

Abandoned

c.700 CE (Arab conquest silting)

Rediscovered

1938 Seton-Williams Cilician plain survey; 2017 dam 280 m arches mapping

Excavation

Partially excavated

1. 198 CE

   Severan saddle dam 280 m spillway 42 m CIL 12242

2. 550 CE

   Aqueduct arch repair Byzantine

3. 1938

   Seton-Williams records 2.2 km arch sections 2.8 m

• Saddle Embankment (280 m × 8.8 m)

  dam

  280-m earth saddle with basalt riprap and 22 m base 8.8 m high

  37.1510° N · 35.9810° E

• Spillway with Stilling Basin (42 m)

  structure

  42-m limestone spillway with 12 m stilling basin on limestone bedrock

  37.1520° N · 35.9820° E

• Arched Aqueduct Section (2.8 m)

  aqueduct

  Four 2.8-m arch sections totalling 2.2 km from reservoir to estate 28 ha

  37.1530° N · 35.9830° E