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Archaeology

Explore selected excavation sites in Türkiye through detailed files covering chronology, field methods, finds, daily life and conservation.

Explore on the map ↓Browse by periodCompare excavation files ↘
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Aerial view of the Küçükçekmece lagoon and its Marmara connection, framing harbour and mobility.01Bathonea
Photo and licence: qwesy qwesy · CC BY 3.0 ↗
Megaron remains and protective canopy at Troy, Hisarlık.02Troy
Photo and licence: Giorgio Galeotti · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
Pergamon's steep hillside theatre within the misty acropolis landscape.03Pergamon
Photo and licence: Giorgio Galeotti · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
The two-storey façade of the Library of Celsus at Ephesus.04Ephesus
Photo and licence: Warren LeMay · CC BY-SA 2.0 ↗
Overview of the excavated Neolithic structures at Karahantepe.05Stone Hills
Photo and licence: Campels · CC0 1.0 ↗
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Prepared by Ersin İğdeLast editorial review: 24 July 2026Author and methodology →

Read each place through chronology, fieldwork, trade networks, belief, daily life and conservation—not simply as a monument.

5 research files
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Geographic reading

See every site in its correct context

Compare five research files using verified WGS84 reference points. Selecting a site updates the map, chronology and field dossier together.

The base map is simplified from Natural Earth country geometry. Markers use the WGS84 coordinate system.

Aerial view of the Küçükçekmece lagoon and its Marmara connection, framing harbour and mobility.
Aerial view of the Küçükçekmece lagoon and its Marmara connection, framing harbour and mobility.Captured: 2015Photo: qwesy qwesyWikimedia Commons ↗CC BY 3.0 ↗Cropped for web

Selected research file

Bathonea

Ancient harbour and multi-layered settlement

8-minute read

On the western shore of Lake Küçükçekmece, the site connects Istanbul's prehistoric, Roman and Byzantine past with a protected lagoon, harbour activity and production.

Site Profile
Lake Küçükçekmece, Istanbul
Reference location
41.021° N · 28.718° E
Chronology
Epipalaeolithic–Ottoman
Protection / research
Active excavation

Research identity

Excavation and scientific lead

The Lake Küçükçekmece excavations are conducted by Kocaeli University's scientific team with ministerial authorisation and cooperation.

Excavation / programme
Bathonea ExcavationsOpen official source Scientific lead
Kocaeli UniversityOpen official source

The institutional relationship is verified against official project and institution pages.

Open the full site file →↓Field guidePDF · Turkish

02

Comparative reading

Examine excavation sites side by side

Select two or three sites and compare chronology, settlement, architecture, economy, finds, excavation method and conservation.

2/3 · Up to 3 sites
01

Bathonea

Ancient harbour and multi-layered settlement
Location
Lake Küçükçekmece, Istanbul
Chronology
Epipalaeolithic–Ottoman
Settlement type
Harbour and lagoon settlement
Architecture
Harbour works, water structures, workshops and basilical buildings
Economy
Coastal mobility, production, food processing and regional trade
Important finds
Stone finds, ceramics, and evidence for production and water systems
Excavation method
Basin-scale survey, stratigraphic excavation and environmental data
Conservation status
Active excavation; lagoon conditions and urban pressure are monitored together
02

Troy

A 4,000-year bridge between Anatolia and the Aegean
Location
Hisarlık, Çanakkale
Chronology
Bronze Age–Roman
Settlement type
Fortified tell settlement
Architecture
Superimposed walls, gates, megarons, ramp and sanctuaries
Economy
Straits traffic, Aegean–Anatolian exchange and regional production
Important finds
Bronze Age architectural phases, ceramics and defence systems
Excavation method
Microstratigraphy, building phases, geophysics and conservation-led excavation
Conservation status
UNESCO property; visitors, legacy excavation damage and conservation are managed together

03

Chronological context

Not one line, but a layered chronology

Compare each site's strongest research phases. The period filter narrows the map at the same time.

  1. 01
    10th–7th millennia BCEEarly experiments in settled life
  2. 02
    3rd–2nd millennia BCEBronze Age cities and networks
  3. 03
    4th–1st centuries BCEHellenistic kingdoms and urbanism
  4. 04
    1st–7th centuries CERoman and Late Antique change
  5. 05
    7th–19th centuries CEByzantine and Ottoman layers

04

Finds Atlas · First records

Keep every object in context

Each record connects an object or architectural feature to material, date, find context, current location, evidence source and image licence.

Where an inventory number or precise layer cannot be verified in open sources, the record says so explicitly.

05

Archaeology database · Version 1.0

Five files in one extensible data model

Province, coordinates, period, site type, research institution, excavation/conservation status, UNESCO record, update date and official source share one record.

Download JSON dataset ↓JSON · UTF-8 · 5 records
FileProvince / regionCoordinatesPeriodSite typeInstitutionStatusUNESCOLast updatedOfficial source
Bathonea ↗Istanbul · Marmara41.021° N · 28.718° EEpipalaeolithic–OttomanSettlement / tellScientific direction by Kocaeli UniversityActive excavationNot a UNESCO World Heritage propertyOfficial source ↗
Troy ↗Çanakkale · North Aegean39.958° N · 26.239° EBronze Age–RomanSettlement / tellMinistry of Culture and Tourism / Troy MuseumUNESCO World Heritage · 1998World Heritage · 1998Official source ↗
Pergamon ↗İzmir · Aegean39.133° N · 27.185° EHellenistic–OttomanCity / cultural landscapeGerman Archaeological Institute / Ministry of Culture and TourismUNESCO World Heritage · 2014World Heritage · 2014Official source ↗
Ephesus ↗İzmir · Aegean37.939° N · 27.341° ENeolithic–OttomanCity / cultural landscapeAustrian Archaeological Institute / Ministry of Culture and TourismUNESCO World Heritage · 2015World Heritage · 2015Official source ↗
Stone Hills ↗Şanlıurfa · Southeastern AnatoliaŞanlıurfa bölgesel odakc. 9600–8000 BCERegional research networkStone Hills Project / Ministry of Culture and TourismMulti-site research programmeGöbeklitepe World Heritage · 2018; not the whole programmeOfficial source ↗

04

Research dossier

Evidence at a glance

01

Survey began in 2007

02

Systematic excavation since 2009

03

Scientific direction by Kocaeli University

04

Harbour, water and production structures studied together

05

Field note

A layer-by-layer reading

  1. 01

    Discovery and excavation

    Research began with basin-wide survey in 2007 and became a systematic excavation under Prof. Şengül Aydıngün in 2009. The project studies settlement and environmental history together.

    Stone find and interpretation panel from the Küçükçekmece settlement, Istanbul Archaeological Museums.
    Stone find and interpretation panel from the Küçükçekmece settlement, Istanbul Archaeological Museums.Captured: 2013Photo: VikiPictureWikimedia Commons ↗CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗Cropped for web
  2. 02

    A long sequence

    Evidence ranges from prehistoric periods through the Hellenistic, Roman, Late Antique, Byzantine and Ottoman eras, revealing repeated use of the same lakeside landscape.

    The misty shore of Lake Küçükçekmece, the wider landscape context of multi-layered Bathonea.
    The misty shore of Lake Küçükçekmece, the wider landscape context of multi-layered Bathonea.Captured: 2023Photo: Abdulkadir ItriWikimedia Commons ↗CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Cropped for web
  3. 03

    Harbour, trade and production

    The protected lagoon linked to the Sea of Marmara helps explain the harbour character. Waterfront, water-management and production remains illuminate food processing and regional circulation.

    Aerial view of the Küçükçekmece lagoon and its Marmara connection, framing harbour and mobility.
    Aerial view of the Küçükçekmece lagoon and its Marmara connection, framing harbour and mobility.Captured: 2015Photo: qwesy qwesyWikimedia Commons ↗CC BY 3.0 ↗Cropped for web
  4. 04

    Belief and daily life

    Basilical buildings, religious small finds, pottery and production debris allow sacred and economic life in the Late Antique and Byzantine harbour community to be read together.

    A fishing boat on Lake Küçükçekmece, a contextual view of daily life around the lagoon.
    A fishing boat on Lake Küçükçekmece, a contextual view of daily life around the lagoon.Captured: 2013Photo: Hamdi GümüşWikimedia Commons ↗CC0 1.0 ↗Cropped for web
  5. 05

    Research question

    Bathonea asks how coastal settlements beyond the walled city supported Constantinople through provisioning, maritime transport and regional connections.

    Menekşe Creek in 2025, a contextual image of the basin's waterways and changing shoreline.
    Menekşe Creek in 2025, a contextual image of the basin's waterways and changing shoreline.Captured: 2025Photo: SadrettinWikimedia Commons ↗CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Cropped for web

Sources and further reading

Bathonea

The editorial text is checked against official institutions, excavation teams and World Heritage sources.

Academic / excavation sourceKocaeli University – Bathonea publications ↗
Academic / excavation sourceKocaeli University – New findings ↗

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