Students help revive historic stones of Stratonikeia

MUĞLA

Students receiving part of their education through fieldwork at the ancient city of Stratonikeia in the Yatağan district of Muğla are helping preserve cultural heritage by restoring historical artifacts uncovered during excavations in a stone workshop known as the “stone hospital.”

Listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List and known as the “city of gladiators,” Stratonikeia is also considered one of the largest marble cities in the world. The site holds significance not only for the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods but also for the eras of the Menteşe Principality, the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Türkiye.

Professor Bilal Söğüt, head of the Stratonikeia and Lagina excavations, said that excavation and restoration work continue throughout the year at the ancient city.

Söğüt noted that restoration work continues indoors during periods when excavations are not underway, adding that stone artifacts weighing up to 5 tons are transported with cranes and repaired in the restoration workshop.

As part of a new initiative launched this year, students from the Architectural Restoration Program at Pamukkale University Buldan Vocational School are carrying out part of their education directly at the excavation site through practical training.

Söğüt said the students work in different units in 15-day rotations, allowing them to learn every stage of the excavation and restoration process on site.

“Students who come here see every stage of the process in practice — from the removal of a find from the field to its drawing, digital documentation, cleaning and restoration,” he said. “They have the opportunity to experience all procedures, including mechanical and chemical cleaning and the reassembly of broken blocks.”

He also noted that restoration work involves different areas of specialization, with some students focusing on mosaics, others on frescoes, stone or drawing, adding that students can gradually specialize in the fields that interest them.

Emphasizing the importance of the experience students gain in the field, Söğüt said, “When they leave here and go to another excavation site, there is almost no application they have not already encountered.”