Excavations resume in Bathonea

ISTANBUL

Excavations in the ancient city of Bathonea, located in the Küçükçekmece Lake basin in Istanbul’s Avcılar district, have been resumed.

A sponsorship agreement has been recently signed in the excavation area of the ancient city of Bathonea, which has a crucial role in uncovering and preserving the historical and archaeological heritage of Istanbul, carried out by the Culture and Tourism Ministry and Kocaeli University.

Professor Şengül Aydıngün, the head of the excavations, said, “From the first year we entered this field in 2008, Bathonea attracted the attention of the world. Officials from the American Archaeological Institute visited us. We showed them some very small remnants in the field and the following year, they put them on the list of the world's best discoveries. Actually, Bathonea is not an ancient city but a port city. In the past, when Istanbul was founded, there was the city of Byzantium. Then Constantinople was founded. Just like today, Avcılar was a town connected to the center. It was a port settlement that provided great services to the city.”

Nihal Metin, the Director of the Department of Excavations at the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, said, "The number of excavations has reached 170. The number of excavations is increasing due to the increase in the number of archeology departments and academics. But if you do not protect them, the excavation area can be damaged. Therefore, it is important for us to carry out proper excavations and document them, make scientific publications and announce them to world archeology.”

During the excavations in Bathonea, traces of two ancient harbors called “Large” and “Small,” dated to the Hellenistic and Roman periods, and an ancient lighthouse, have been discovered. It is the second ancient lighthouse in Türkiye after the one in the ancient city of Patara.

The Journal of the American Archaeological Institute, the British Independent Newspaper and the Heritage Key included the excavation site in the "Top 10 List of the World's Most Important Archaeological Discoveries" in 2009.

In addition to the port structures, the remains of a giant open cistern castle, which was determined to be built by Emperor Constantine the Great (330 A.D.), and a large palace complex with mosaic floors, underground water channels and ancient roads have been unearthed during the excavations.

Also, traces of a Viking neighborhood have been unearthed in the ancient city. “We unearthed seven clues that indicated the Vikings once lived here,” said Blazei Stanislawski, a Polish Viking expert who joined the team after he first learned that Vikings lived in Bathonea.

This year's excavation work will be completed in September.