Inscriptions reveal Parion’s importance

ÇANAKKALE - Anadolu Agency

The inscriptions discovered in Parion confirm information about the ancient city.

A 2,000-year-old inscription has been found in Parion, an ancient port city of the Hellenistic era located in the northwestern province of Çanakkale’s Biga district.

Excavations at the site have recently been ongoing in seven different spots, along with restoration and conversation works, and a Byzantine chapel was also found in the area in previous years.

The head of the excavation team, Associate Professor Vedat Keleş, said excavations at the ancient city would be finished soon, adding that they had discovered very important findings this year.

“This year was the 10th year of the excavations and it was very productive for us. A technical team of 60 people from seven universities and 70 workers provided by our main sponsor have been working at the site. The latest findings are like a key document for us, including 2,000 year-old inscriptions that confirmed our previous information about the ancient site,” Keleş said.

“We understand from the inscriptions that Parion was the most important colony city of the region, or maybe of Anatolia. They also give important clues about economic, military and architectural activities in the area, which are supported by theater excavations. The odeon, a building for musical events, that we unearthed could hold 200 people, making it one of the biggest in Anatolia,” he added.