World archaeologists visit Satala

GÜMÜŞHANE

Following the 26th International Archaeological Congress in Batumi, where works from the Roman period were examined, a group of 69 archaeologists from England, Germany, Hungary, France, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Poland, and the U.S. recently toured and examined the ancient city of Satala as part of their program.

“One of the most important congresses in Europe was held in Batumi this year. The visitors of the congress, archaeologists, chose Satala as the last destination on their tour route. We are happy to host them in Satala today on Sept. 16. It is a great honor and a very big step for us because it is one of the biggest congresses in Europe and it is held only once every three years. We plan to continuously highlight Satala with international collaborations and reveal the value and importance of this ancient city,” said Elif Yavuz Çakmur, an academic at the Karadeniz Technical University and head of the excavations.

The ancient city is located in the Kelkit district of Gümüşhane, within the borders of Sadak village, where the 15th Apollinaris Legion, one of the four major legions on the eastern border of the Roman Empire, ruled for 600 years.

New season excavations started on Aug. 16 in the ancient city of Satala and works will continue through the end of autumn with a team of 18 persons.

Speaking about the ongoing excavations in the ancient city, Çakmur said a woman's grave has been unearthed during recent works.

While working in the ancient city, which served as a military headquarters to protect the border during the Roman Empire, the excavation team also found many glass, metal and terracotta artifacts in the same area, as well as a bronze object.

“We have opened 16 graves during the work. In these structures, we generally find simple earthen burials and tile graves. It was interesting that we found a woman's grave in the structure which is called the legionnaire necropolis. It is remarkable for us. We actually found a structure right next to this place. This woman's grave was probably placed there for use in the later period. We described it as a late-period grave. With further anthropological data, we will have more detailed information about the woman,” she said.

Andreas Thiel, an archaeologist who visited the ancient city of Satala and an official of the Monuments Board in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, said, "It is difficult to express my feelings. I had imagined this place differently. It is a great opportunity for archaeologists. Excavations can be carried out because there is no settlement on it. The important question is why a large city has not formed here. I hope that the work of our colleagues will provide an answer to this question."

The archaeological excavations have been ongoing since 2017 in the ancient city of Satala. The city was also a police station city established to protect the Euphrates border. There are hardly any finds bearing the characteristics of the Roman period.

The presence of the Urartians in the region has been architecturally proven with historical findings starting 50 centimeters below the ground.

A few tomb steles, baths, aqueducts and castle walls are visible on the surface. However, today’s settlement area is located in most of the main city. Most of the walls remained under the present houses. There are aqueducts about 1.6 kilometers south of the village.