Aspendos excavations reveal 6,000-year-old settlement history

Recent archaeological excavations at the ancient city of Aspendos in the Serik district of Antalya have revealed that human settlement in the area dates back 6,000 years. Findings from drilling beneath two-story shops have uncovered archaeological data from the Late Chalcolithic Age, including plates, bowls, and various tools.

These discoveries suggest the historical background of the Aspendos acropolis extends to 3500–4000 BC, proving the region was inhabited long before the Iron Age. The ongoing excavations are part of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s ‘Heritage for the Future Project’ and are led by Associate Professor Mustafa Bilgin of Afyon Kocatepe University.

Aspendos is renowned for its exceptionally well-preserved Roman-era structures, including a 2,000-year-old theater, aqueducts, an agora, a temple, a stadium, and a council building. Recent finds also include a 3rd-century depiction of the river god ‘Young Eurymedon’.