2,000-year-old street unearthed in ancient city on Türkiye's Mediterranean coast

Excavations at Aspendos, one of the most important ancient cities of the Pamphylia region, have been underway since 2022 under archaeologist Mustafa Bilgin of Afyon Kocatepe University, and have gained fresh momentum under the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry's Heritage for the Future Project.

The excavations unearthed some 300 meters (nearly 1,000 feet) of the ancient road connecting the theater to the acropolis, along with notable discoveries including a well-preserved bakery, public buildings, residential houses, a monumental gate, and advanced infrastructure systems.

Bilgin told Anadolu that the ancient city, long known for its theater and aqueducts, will now offer visitors a new experience through its monumental structures on the acropolis.

Noting that work on Theater Street is nearing completion after two years of excavations, Bilgin said:

"Visitors will now be able to walk from the theater to the acropolis through an ancient road. In antiquity, this was one of Aspendos' busiest urban transportation arteries. Along the street, we have largely uncovered public buildings, residential houses, and a monumental gate."

He also said the team identified the eastern necropolis of the ancient city outside the city's eastern gate, adding that a classical-era tomb discovered there indicates the area was used as a cemetery from the late fifth century BC onward.

- Phoenician coin and glass perfume bottles unearthed

Bilgin said excavations in the Eastern Square uncovered the remains of a mosaic building and highlighted the street's engineering features.

"The street varies between 3 and 5 meters (10-16 feet) wide. We also identified a sewage system about 1 meter (3.28 ft) deep beneath the road. Thanks to the way the stone paving was laid in accordance with the slope, the surface has not shifted, despite earthquakes," he said.

Bilgin added that the excavations also yielded valuable evidence of Aspendos' commercial life, including a Phoenician coin and locally produced glass perfume bottles discovered in two-story shops and a stoa (covered walkway) complex.

He said the finds point to Aspendos' commercial ties with the Eastern Mediterranean, including ancient Syria and Palestine, while the unearthed bakery offers remarkable insights into daily life and architecture during antiquity.

Qazinform News Agency reported earlier that unique Kangju-period artifacts had been discovered in the Turkistan region.