Digs uncover layers of history in Antalya

ANTALYA

Archaeological excavations and surveys carried out as part of the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s "Heritage for the Future" project in more than 20 sites in the tourism hotspot of Antalya have reshaped the region’s archaeological map during the 2025 season.

According to information shared by the Antalya Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism, the year-long work has produced high-quality finds that fill major gaps in understanding the city’s multilayered past. From the Kemer coastline to the Finike valley, and from the Serik plateau to the slopes of Alanya, temples, statues, mosaics and traces of daily life were brought to light.

At the ancient city of Phaselis, excavations around the Domitian Agora and the Archaic altar of Apollo revealed notable small finds from the Roman period. Among them was a rolled lamella amulet preserved inside a bronze container, considered a nearly complete example of personal protective talismans. Other finds, including locks and chains, a bronze stylus, a decorated compass and a bronze mouse figurine, shed light on security, communication, craftsmanship and belief systems in the ancient city.

In Side, year-round excavations and restorations helped restore the city’s spatial integrity. Monumental fountains, mosaic- and fresco-decorated spaces, aqueducts and public areas were uncovered, making urban planning from the Hellenistic and Roman periods easier to interpret. Previously closed quarters and the episcopal area were reopened to visitors, alongside archaeopark arrangements and nighttime museum lighting.

At Aspendos, a marble statue of Hermes was unearthed among the remains of a monumental fountain east of the theater street. Standing 1.65 meters tall with its inscribed base and dated to the second or third century A.D., the statue depicts Hermes with a money pouch, staff and cloak, highlighting the symbolic importance of trade, roads and communication. The forum area also yielded an imperial head and a bearded male head believed to represent a captive figure.

In Limyra, architectural remains belonging to the long-lost Temple of Zeus — previously known only from written sources — were identified. The discovery of the temple’s eastern entrance and surrounding elements has allowed the city’s religious topography to be assessed through concrete archaeological evidence for the first time.

Excavations at Syedra revealed dozens of olive oil workshops, showing that production, trade and daily life were closely intertwined. Finds ranging from furniture fittings and tools to a silver-alloy curse tablet offered insight into the city’s ritual practices.

At Olympos, a vaulted monumental tomb near the eastern entrance facing the sea indicated elite burials along this axis, while fully mosaic-covered church floors revealed aspects of Christian worship through dedicatory inscriptions.

In Patara, excavations around the city gate showed that the area functioned not only as a monumental entrance but also as a lively commercial hub with shops and storage spaces, as evidenced by coins and amphorae.

The Myra–Andriake corridor yielded new information on port infrastructure and economy, including workshops and storage areas, as well as a structure linked to healing water use.

At Perge, statues depicting Aphrodite with Eros and a priestess or noble city woman were uncovered, along with a Constantinople-minted gold coin dating to A.D. 582–602, documenting the city’s late antique economic ties.

A nearly life-sized seated female statue found in the Termessos necropolis was interpreted as a monumental reflection of the ideal of a virtuous and respected woman in ancient society.

Finds at Sillyon, including a medieval terracotta grenade and a Greek-inscribed block dated to A.D. 223, pointed to the city’s military and administrative importance across different periods.

At Kızılin and Karain Cave, discoveries extended the timeline even further back. Structural traces dated to 13,500 B.C. marked early phases of the transition to the Neolithic, while two human teeth dated to between 370,000 and 350,000 years ago were recorded as the oldest stratigraphically identified human remains in Türkiye.

Officials said the 2025 season once again demonstrated Antalya’s exceptionally layered archaeological heritage. Excavation, conservation and restoration work under the Heritage for the Future project is continuing to safeguard this legacy using scientific methods while integrating it with tourism in a balanced way.