Teos was renowned for its distinctive marble, historically referred to as Lucullus marble and known modernly as Africano marble.
Ongoing excavations and restoration work at the ancient city of Teos in the western province of İzmir’s Seferihisar district are shedding light on the political, educational and cultural life of the ancient world, uncovering traces stretching from the commanders of Alexander the Great to Roman emperors.
Located in Sığacık, Teos was once an important center of trade, art and thought in the Mediterranean world. With two harbors to its north and south, the ancient Ionian city-state attracted merchants, artists, thinkers and powerful political figures.
At the heart of the city stands a council building dating back approximately 2,200 years, where civic decisions were made, royal requests were discussed and students took examinations in music and basic subjects. The building later hosted cultural events after a stage was added during the Roman period.
Excavations and restoration work have been carried out since 2010. Musa Kadıoğlu, head of the Teos excavations, said inscriptions found at the council building show that it served not only as a political assembly but also as an educational and cultural center.
The building, one of the city’s best-preserved public structures, had a capacity of approximately 800 people and 17 rows of seating. Only a few steps were visible when systematic excavations began in 2010, but restoration work has since largely revealed its architectural structure. Most of the work was completed in 2026.
One of the most significant documents discovered at Teos is an inscription concerning the Polythros educational foundation. Around 2,200 years ago, a wealthy resident named Polythros donated 34,000 drachmas to establish a foundation supporting children’s education.
The foundation supported the education of freeborn boys and girls. According to the inscriptions, students studied reading, writing, grammar, literature and music, alongside physical education and military training.
The records also provide details about teachers’ responsibilities and salaries, as well as rules for resolving disputes among educators. Music teachers who taught stringed instruments received the highest salaries. Examinations in music and basic subjects were held at the council building, while physical education and military training examinations are believed to have taken place at the city’s gymnasium.
A king’s demand for a statue
Inscriptions and letters associated with Seleucid King Antiochus III shed light on Teos’ diplomatic relations in the late third century B.C. The king granted the city privileges including autonomy, tax exemptions and the right of asylum.
In return, Antiochus III requested that a bronze statue of him be erected in the council building and decorated with seasonal fruits every year, Kadıoğlu said.
Sculpture bases and inscriptions from the Roman period also reveal the influence of prominent local families and their role in the city’s social and religious life.
Teos was also known for its distinctive marble, called Lucullus marble in ancient sources and also known today as Africano marble. Extracted from local quarries, the stone, distinguished by its dark veins and varied colors, was used in architectural decoration across the Roman Empire. Traces of it have also been identified in the council building’s flooring.
Another important structure at Teos is the Temple of Dionysus, dedicated to the god of wine, fertility and revelry. Attributed to the renowned ancient architect Hermogenes, the temple was also mentioned in the writings of Roman architect and engineer Vitruvius.
Excavations conducted since 2010 have shown that the temple was expanded in successive phases rather than repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt by earthquakes, as previously thought.
The original, smaller structure was later enlarged during the reign of Roman Emperor Hadrian with the addition of a surrounding colonnade of six-by-11 columns. The construction process extended over approximately 360 years.
The surviving head of a monumental cult statue of Dionysus measures about 82 centimeters, suggesting that the complete statue may have stood approximately five meters tall.
HH 2026 excavations uncover new finds
One of the main excavation areas in 2026 was the Temple of Roma and Augustus. Archaeologists identified new monument bases around the temple, although the identities of the figures they once supported remain unknown.
Thirteen inscriptions were also found on architectural blocks removed from earlier buildings and reused as foundation stones in the paved square in front of the temple. The inscriptions provide information about Teos’ earlier political and social relations.
Among the names identified in the inscriptions was Parmenion, one of Alexander the Great’s prominent commanders. Other records indicate that Teos invited judges from Miletus, Smyrna and Mytilene to settle certain public disputes and honored both the judges and the cities that sent them.
Another significant discovery was a marble portrait of Antinous, a close associate of Emperor Hadrian. Kadıoğlu described the nearly life-size portrait as particularly important because of its rarity among known examples from Anatolia.
Together with fragments of inscriptions, the portrait suggests that the sanctuary was associated with Roma and Augustus as well as Antinous during the second century A.D.
Beyond its political and commercial importance, Teos was a prominent center of artistic and intellectual life. It was the birthplace of the lyric poet Anacreon and became an important hub for the performing arts through the Artists of Dionysus association.
The city flourished from the sixth century B.C. and developed into a meeting point for trade, art and thought, particularly during the Hellenistic period.
Today, ongoing excavations and restoration work are bringing the city’s layered history back into view. The largely restored council building has begun hosting cultural and artistic events, returning the ancient structure to public life after more than two millennia.
