Excavations at Aspendos have shown that a settlement existed here as early as 6,000 years ago.

ANTALYA

Recent archaeological excavations in Aspendos, located in the Serik district of the province, have shown that the settlement’s history stretches back approximately 6,000 years.

Excavations in Aspendos, located in the Belkıs area and having been one of the important cities of Pamphylia in antiquity, are continuing as part of the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s “Heritage to the Future” project under the direction of Mustafa Bilgin, an associate professor at Afyon Kocatepe University.

The ancient city attracts visitors with its 2,000-year-old theater, considered one of the best-preserved Roman theaters in Anatolia, its aqueducts, which have become a popular spot for photographs, as well as its agora, monumental fountain, temple, stadium, council building, and ancient theater street.

Among the finds uncovered during the latest excavations, a third-century depiction of the river god “Young Eurymedon” also stands out.

Thanks to the program allowing nighttime visits to museums, the ancient city receives large numbers of local and foreign tourists, especially after sunset.

Archaeological work uncovered finds that made it possible to date the history of settlement in this area to a much earlier period.

The head of the excavations at the ancient city of Aspendos, Associate Professor Mustafa Bilgin, said in an interview with Anadolu that one of Aspendos’s main features is its monumental ancient theater.

“It is one of the rare archaeological monuments in Anatolia and the Mediterranean where virtually all the architectural elements have survived to the present day,” Bilgin said, referring to the theater.

Evidence of the Late Chalcolithic period uncovered

According to Bilgin, many of Aspendos’s structures have survived virtually up to the level of their roofs, while monumental buildings corresponding to the historical character of that era can still be seen on the acropolis.

Bilgin reported that the latest excavations showed that the history of the ancient city of Aspendos stretches back approximately 6,000 years. According to him, Late Chalcolithic materials discovered beneath the floors of two-story commercial buildings, including plates, bowls, and various tools, indicate that this fertile area was already settled in 3500–4000 BC, rather than only from the Iron Age onward.

Bilgin also noted that Aspendos is a multilayered archaeological site, most of whose structures have survived to the present day with an appearance corresponding to their original function in antiquity. In his assessment, this makes Aspendos important both for archaeology and tourism. Bilgin also noted the great interest in the nighttime museum visitation program launched by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

“In the nighttime atmosphere, visitors particularly enjoy viewing the ancient theater and monumental structures,” he said.