Turkish diver accidentally discovers ancient harbor

İZMİR

A Turkish engineer working in the U.S. has discovered the harbor of an ancient city underwater while diving off the Aegean province of İzmir’s Dikili district, where he came for a summer vacation.

Denem Orhun, a 39-year-old engineer working for a music company in the U.S., came across round columns underwater while diving off the coast of Dikili a year and a half ago.

It turned out that the columns were a part of a harbor belonging to the ancient city of Atarneus, which was founded by the Akalis, after the images of the artifacts were shown to an excavation team working at the ancient city of Pergamon.

The area was declared a first-degree protected site following the discovery.

A decision published in the Official Gazette pointed out that the harbor was an architectural find, indicating that the maritime activities that had been ongoing since the ancient period continued even after the topographical changes that occurred as a result of the tectonic movements.

The city of Atarneus flowered in the fourth century BC, when it was the seat of government of Hermias, a friend of Aristotle, ruling over the area from Atarneus to Assos.

The city was deserted by inhabitants in the first century BC, possibly following an outbreak of an unknown epidemic.