October 2021 in Turkish archaeology

Among the most significant archaeological discoveries announced in Turkey in October 2021, a 12.000-year-old temple found during excavations in Boncuklu Tarla is possibly one of the most amazing ones. Moreover, a 2,000-year-old altar was unearthed in the ancient city of Alexandria Troas, while a 1,600-year-old church was discovered in Priene. Finally, 300 square meters of mosaics from the late Roman-early Byzantine period in central Kayseri province’s Incesu district.

The Temple of Athena in Priene
The Temple of Athena in Priene

Church of St. Polyeuctus

In the very centre of the Fatih district in Istanbul, near the seat of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, in a small park there are modest ruins of a building that in its heyday was the largest church of Constantinople, erected to resemble the Solomon Temple in Jerusalem. The tale about this building is connected with the histories of two people: Saint Polyeuctus, to whom it was dedicated, and Anicia Juliana - its founder.

This text is a fragment of a guidebook to Istanbul: "Byzantine Secrets of Istanbul".

Church of St. Polyeuctus
Church of St. Polyeuctus

September 2021 in Turkish archaeology

In September 2021, the archaeologists working in the area of Turkey reported the discovery of the mosaics belonging to the Byzantine period in a complex of buildings in Balatlar in the northern province of Sinop. Moreover, dozens of graves and the remains of houses were found during excavations of the 7,000-year-old ancient mound of Arslantepe, newly inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage Lists. The discovery of 5,000 seal impressions at the same site leads archaeologists to explore and piece together how bureaucracy worked nearly 6,000 years ago. Finally, the 27th round of excavations started in the Elaiussa Sebaste ancient city in Mersin Province of southern Turkey.

Elaiussa Sebaste ancient city
Elaiussa Sebaste ancient city

Alytarches' Stoa in Ephesus

The south-western section of Curetes Street in Ephesus finished with the so-called Alytarches' Stoa, to the east of the Hellenistic Fountain. It was a 53-meter-long structure, 4 to 5 meters deep, and divided into two sections because of the variance in the ground level.

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

Alytarches' Stoa in Ephesus
Alytarches' Stoa in Ephesus

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