July 2022 in Turkish archaeology

Submitted by Iza on Mon, 08/01/2022 - 09:40

The biggest news of July 2022 for the history and archaeology enthusiasts was the final reopening of two historical locations in the heart of Istanbul: the Basilica Cistern and the Archaeological Museum. Moreover, an Urartian fortress was discovered at an altitude of 3,300 meters in eastern Turkey, and a 1800-year-old statue head was found in Smyrna Theatre in Izmir. Finally, the archaeological excavations were launched at historical Harput Castle at eastern Elazığ province and in Metropolis in the Aegean Turkey.

Domitian Square in Ephesus

Submitted by Iza on Fri, 07/22/2022 - 09:02

Domitian Square is dominated by the Temple of the Imperial Cult and its artificial terrace. This enormous square is bordered from the east by a series of buildings along the so-called Domitian Street. These buildings — the Chalcidium, the Pollio Monument, and the Fountain of Domitian — also demarcate the western side of the State Agora.

This text is a fragment of a guidebook to Ephesus: "The Secrets of Ephesus".

What fate awaits the Apollon Temple at Didyma?

Submitted by Iza on Tue, 07/05/2022 - 17:57

Text and photos by our correspondent from Didyma, Glenn Maffia.

And so it begins, when friends from many a foreign shore start to descend into this timeless ancient Ionian landscape. Full with wonderment and, contrary to the sun-seeking hordes, a thirst for what remains of our shared historic past. Though we have been known to quench the dusty dryness with a cold beer or two in the often torrid heat.

June 2022 in Turkish archaeology

Submitted by Iza on Fri, 07/01/2022 - 09:31

Among the archaeological discoveries made in June 2022 within the area of Turkey, it is worth mentioning a burial monument from the late Hellenistic period in the Haydarpaşa Train Station in Istanbul’s Kadıköy neighbourhood and 8,200-year-old stone cutting tools from the Yeşilova Mound in Izmir. Moreover, during the excavations around the Red Basilica at Pergamon, an ancient city in western Turkey that is a UNESCO World Heritage site, a geometric patterned floor mosaic was discovered. Finally, treasure hunters revealed a 2,700-year-old Urartian temple in Garibin Tepe in Alaköy, 28 kilometres northwest of Van city centre.

Turkish Archaeological News collects the most important, interesting and inspiring news from Turkish excavation sites. Here's the review for June. Have we missed anything? Let us know by using Contact tab!

Euromos: Restoration of the Temple of Zeus

Submitted by Iza on Mon, 06/20/2022 - 19:14

Text and photos by our correspondent from Didyma, Glenn Maffia.

For a number of months I have been reading about the ongoing restoration of the Temple of Zeus Lepsynos located within the antique city of Euromos, approximately halfway between Didim and Bodrum on Türkiye's south-western Aegean shore. It hasn’t made for pleasurable reading from my point of view, I can assure you.