2,000-year-old villas discovered in Tralleis Ancient City

The excavations at Tralleis, which is believed to have been founded by the Thracians and Argives, are being led by Prof. Dr. Murat Çekilmez, a faculty member in the Archaeology Department at Aydın Adnan Menderes University's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Prof. Dr. Çekilmez stated that they are concentrating their work on three areas in the western part of the ancient city that were used as villas two millennia ago. He explained that the villas are situated along the columned street where trade was intensive, and the houses belonged to a complex spanning 2,500 square meters. Çekilmez noted that the part of the houses facing the street featured workshops and shops. He said, 'In the excavations carried out here, we mostly encountered products made of metal. So, while people lived in the house, the northern sections of the home were converted into shops and workshops. Excavations here showed us that metal was produced, particularly in the 4th and 5th centuries AD. For example, the metal belt buckles of Roman soldiers, which ancient writers tell us about, were produced in Tralleis.'

2,000-year-old villas discovered in Tralleis Ancient City

Excavations in Aydın's Tralleis Ancient City have revealed three villas dating back 2,000 years, located along the city's busy colonnaded street.