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

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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.

Pergamon's steep hillside theatre within the misty acropolis landscape.
Pergamon's steep hillside theatre within the misty acropolis landscape.Captured: 2025Photo: Giorgio GaleottiWikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 4.0Cropped for web

Selected research file

Pergamon

Hellenistic capital and multi-layered cultural landscape

8-minute read

The acropolis above the Bakırçay Plain was an Attalid capital and centre of learning. UNESCO treats the acropolis, Asklepieion, sanctuaries, tumuli and living Bergama as one landscape.

Site Profile
Bergama, İzmir
Reference location
39.133° N · 27.185° E
Chronology
Hellenistic–Ottoman
Protection / research
UNESCO World Heritage · 2014

Research identity

Excavation and scientific lead

The Pergamon excavation is a long-term research programme of the Istanbul Department of the German Archaeological Institute.

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

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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

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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

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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.

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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 datasetJSON · UTF-8 · 5 records
FileProvince / regionCoordinatesPeriodSite typeInstitutionStatusUNESCOLast updatedOfficial source
BathoneaIstanbul · Marmara41.021° N · 28.718° EEpipalaeolithic–OttomanSettlement / tellScientific direction by Kocaeli UniversityActive excavationNot a UNESCO World Heritage propertyOfficial source
TroyÇanakkale · North Aegean39.958° N · 26.239° EBronze Age–RomanSettlement / tellMinistry of Culture and Tourism / Troy MuseumUNESCO World Heritage · 1998World Heritage · 1998Official source
Pergamonİzmir · Aegean39.133° N · 27.185° EHellenistic–OttomanCity / cultural landscapeGerman Archaeological Institute / Ministry of Culture and TourismUNESCO World Heritage · 2014World Heritage · 2014Official source
Ephesusİzmir · Aegean37.939° N · 27.341° ENeolithic–OttomanCity / cultural landscapeAustrian Archaeological Institute / Ministry of Culture and TourismUNESCO World Heritage · 2015World Heritage · 2015Official source
Stone HillsŞanlıurfa · 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

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Research dossier

Evidence at a glance

01

UNESCO inscription in 2014

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Capital of the Attalid dynasty

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Major healing centre: Asklepieion

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Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman layers

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Field note

A layer-by-layer reading

  1. 01

    A capital built with topography

    Terraced temples, stoas, palaces, theatre and library turned the steep hill into a monumental stage visible across the plain.

    Pergamon's steep hillside theatre within the misty acropolis landscape.
    Pergamon's steep hillside theatre within the misty acropolis landscape.Captured: 2025Photo: Giorgio GaleottiWikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 4.0Cropped for web
  2. 02

    Knowledge, medicine and Galen

    The library and intellectual life made Pergamon a centre of learning. At the Asklepieion, healing, religion and observation met; Galen's connection reinforces its medical legacy.

    The colonnaded precinct of Pergamon's Asklepieion, the ancient healing centre.
    The colonnaded precinct of Pergamon's Asklepieion, the ancient healing centre.Captured: 2021Photo: AyratayratWikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 4.0Cropped for web
  3. 03

    A multi-layered landscape

    The Roman Serapeion, Byzantine fabric and Ottoman markets, baths and mosques overlap with modern Bergama. Its value lies in this long transformation, not a single monument.

    View from the Pergamon Acropolis across Bergama and the Bakırçay plain.
    View from the Pergamon Acropolis across Bergama and the Bakırçay plain.Captured: 2025Photo: Giorgio GaleottiWikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 4.0Cropped for web
  4. 04

    Sanctuaries and tumuli

    The Kapıkaya Kybele Sanctuary and burial mounds formed the visual and ritual territory of the acropolis beyond the city walls.

    Remains of the Sanctuary of Athena on the Pergamon Acropolis.
    Remains of the Sanctuary of Athena on the Pergamon Acropolis.Captured: 2025Photo: Giorgio GaleottiWikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 4.0Cropped for web
  5. 05

    Material and craft

    The Pergamene school of sculpture, monumental friezes and parchment tradition represent the city's artistic and technical knowledge.

    Re-erected columns and stonework of the Temple of Trajan at Pergamon.
    Re-erected columns and stonework of the Temple of Trajan at Pergamon.Captured: 2025Photo: Giorgio GaleottiWikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 4.0Cropped for web

Sources and further reading

Pergamon

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