Roman Temple in Tieion unearthed

ZONGULDAK

Archeological studies are going on to reveal a Roman temple unearthed in 2007 in the ancient city of Tieion in Çaycuma district of the Black Sea province of Zonguldak.

Located in Filyos, the ancient city has been undergoing archaeological excavation for 13 years. Works are carried out by the Ereğli Museum Directorate.

A part of the six-pillar Roman temple, located in a high region of the city and dates back to the beginning of the 2nd century B.C., is aimed to earned into tourism of the region with the planned projects.

Bartın University Faculty of Letters and Tieion ancient city excavation scientific coordinator Associate Professor Dr. Şahin Yıldırım told the state-run Anadolu Agency that they are working in the Roman temple, one of the important structures in the ancient city.

Yıldırım said that the first works in the temple were carried out in 2007, adding, “This is the most important structure of the city due to its location in the acropolis. However, it was severely damaged in earthquakes, subsequent wars and destruction in the historical process. Because Byzantine-era walls surround the acropolis, a very important part of the marbles, capitals and other building elements were melted and turned into lime.”

Yıldırım stated that they want to add this structure to a range of touristic artifacts.

“We prepared a restoration project on this building last year and we are preparing a partial raising method. If the process goes well, we plan to raise a part of the temple, which is the most important structure of the city, in a way that everyone can see. For this purpose, this year we started a new study especially in the temple area. This will take about a month. We are planning to open this site to visitors with a restoration project that will be realized afterwards.”

[HH] Works will be completed in a year

Yildirim said that they received positive feedback about the restoration and landscaping in the region.

“Previously there was not much to meet the needs of visitors. However, we have seen that the number of visitors increased by more than 20 times with the landscaping we have made. We thought that it would also contribute to tourism and archeology of the city to include the temple in the program. This is one of the most important projects for the city. If we continue as expected, the work here will be completed in about one year.”

Located in the seaside town of Filyos in the northeast of Zonguldak, the ancient city of Tieion was founded by the Miletus colony led by the priest Tios. The city was demolished and looted by the Romans and later rebuilt as a trade and fishing area of the Roman provinces. The region later turned into a fishing town.

Excavations started in 2006 in the ancient city, where foreign researchers and travelers have shown interest since the second half of the 19th century. It is intended to shed light on the history of the Black Sea and Asia Minor.