New discoveries unearthed at Perinthos excavations

TEKİRDAĞ

Excavations at the 5,000-year-old ancient city of Perinthos in the Marmaraereğlisi district of the northwestern province of Tekirdağ continue to shed light on the region’s rich past, revealing new artifacts this year at the Mola Burnu area.

Professor Zeynep Koçel Erdem of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, who leads the excavations, detailed the recent discoveries at Mola Burnu, saying: “We found an excessive amount of mussel shells, each with very neatly carved holes. They were clearly worked in some way, perhaps to extract mother-of-pearl. It’s a form of craftsmanship intended for different purposes. We also uncovered many intriguing ivory and bone hairpins, as well as numerous stone tools. At first, we considered them prehistoric, but similar tools were used during the Roman and Byzantine periods as well. They may have been used in various production activities. This area is very interesting for us. Although we have not yet fully determined its function, noteworthy finds continue to emerge as excavations proceed.”

Excavations at Perinthos began in 2021 on Bayraktepe Hill, where the city’s upper settlement stretches some 1.5 kilometers long and 500 meters wide. Among the ruins, archaeologists uncovered what is believed to be the largest ancient theater in Thrace, along with statues and graves. Work continues across several parts of the site, with this year’s focus expanding again to Mola Burnu.

Erdem also highlighted structures discovered last year at the eastern harbor. “We identified walls belonging to what appears to be a harbor structure, found underwater. This year we conducted detailed dives and examinations. These could be harbor-related buildings, workshops or industrial areas. It’s an entirely untouched part of the site and is classified as a first-degree protected area. While we had concentrated mostly on the western and eastern theaters, this area has now become a new excavation zone,” she said.

‘We identified traces from several different periods in theater’

The excavation team continues its work at the theater within the scope of the “Heritage to the Future” project. “Another excavation zone this year was Mola Burnu, overlooking the eastern harbor. The theater is particularly challenging due to a six-meter layer of fill. Next to the stage building, we uncovered remains composed of massive stone blocks belonging to a much earlier structure. Excavations revealed traces from several construction phases and different periods. Work on the stage building continues. At the Kavala section, we found remains associated with seating rows, some bearing stonemason marks that may indicate dedicated seats or the identities of the craftsmen,” Erdem explained.

She noted that excavations are expected to continue until the end of December. “Work at the theater will proceed under the Heritage to the Future project, and we will also continue at Mola Burnu. In the west, we had begun uncovering the Late Antique necropolis, where our colleagues from Hacettepe University are examining the bones. Together with our anthropology experts, we plan to expand the necropolis excavation. Weather conditions are favorable, and our support this year has been strong,” she added.