A new phase has begun for the protection and restoration of a 2,200-year-old public assembly building, known as the Bouleuterion, unearthed after 11 years of excavations at the Aigai Ancient City in the Yunusemre district of Manisa.
Professor Yusuf Sezgin, head of the Aigai excavations, said they plan to begin restoration work on the Bouleuterion during this year’s excavation season, describing it as one of the best-preserved assembly structures surviving from antiquity.
Excavations for 2025 are ongoing at the 2,700-year-old ancient city, one of the 12 Aeolian cities established in western Anatolia, located within the borders of Yuntdağıköseler neighborhood in Yunusemre. Work on the Bouleuterion, one of the most significant structures of the ancient city, has been completed.
With a capacity of around 200 people and built in the mid-second century B.C., the structure ranks among the best-preserved assembly buildings to have survived from ancient times.
Sezgin noted that excavations first began in 2004 in the area where the assembly building stands today.
“This was where the first excavation started. At that time, it was not even known that this was an assembly building. The area was completely covered with shrubs, brush and piles of stones. Over the last period, we worked for a total of 11 years and fully uncovered the public assembly building,” he said.
Noting that Aigai functioned as a polis, or city-state, in antiquity, Sezgin said political decisions were once made at the site.
“Today we are on the summit of Yunt Mountain in a rural landscape, but in antiquity, there was an assembly here where political decisions were taken. Around 2,200 years ago, the people of Aigai made decisions about their city in this building. This system reflects a governance model close to direct democracy,” he said.
Sezgin also highlighted that artifacts related to the goddess Hestia and honorary statues belonging to the family that commissioned the building were uncovered during the excavations.
“This structure is extremely important not only architecturally but also because of the finds it contains. An assembly building preserved to this extent is very rare in western Anatolia,” he said.
Conservation and restoration phase
Following the completion of excavations, the project has moved into its second phase.
“In archaeology, excavation is followed by conservation and restoration. We are currently preparing our projects for this stage. After receiving the necessary approvals from the relevant boards, we plan to begin conservation and restoration work on the assembly building in 2026,” Sezgin said.
The goal is to protect the structure with a roof and recreate its interior using replica statues, allowing visitors to understand how a public assembly functioned in antiquity.
“It is a great opportunity to demonstrate this with such a well-preserved example,” he added.
Sezgin stated that the first phase of restoration is expected to be completed in approximately one year and that sponsorship support will be sought once the total project cost is finalized.
He also noted that the challenging geography of Aigai has worked to its advantage.
“Because the city is far from large and modern settlements, it has not suffered serious destruction. Nearly 80 percent of the assembly building remains in its original state. The seating rows and architectural elements can be restored with minor interventions. This makes the structure extremely valuable in terms of antiquity,” he said.
