The Apollon Smintheus Sanctuary (Smintheion), located in the town of Gülpınar, Ayvacık, Çanakkale, is a project of special importance for Western Anatolian Archeology, where there are building remains from the Hellenistic and Roman periods and traces of the settlement dating to the Chalcolithic Period.During the excavations, which started in 1980 under the direction of Prof. Dr. Coşkun Özgünel, many structures such as the bath, residences and the sacred street related to the sanctuary were unearthed, as well as the temple. The excavation director of the project has been Asc. Prof. Dr. David Kaplan continues.
Apollon Smintheus Sanctuary is the second most important sanctuary of Troas after the temple of Athena in Troy. The importance of the sanctuary stems from the fact that it is the only example with a mouse symbol among the known Apollo cults in Anatolia. Etymologically, Apollon Smintheus means "Lord of Mice". Apollo Smintheus appears in the Troas region as a god who protects the farmers from mice.
The most important structure of the Apollon Smintheus Sanctuary is the Temple of Apollon Smintheus, and the temple built in Ionic style dates back to 150 BC. The most striking aspect of the Temple of Apollon Smintheus is the reliefs that take their subject from the Trojan War, which is described in Homer's Iliad. The temple, decorated with relief friezes on the Iliad, is unique in this context. The temple in question is characterized by its unique architectural style and its unique plastic works in the Hellenistic Period Western Anatolian architectural art.
During the archaeological excavations carried out in the Apollon Smintheus Sanctuary (Smintheion), the remains of a prehistoric settlement dated to 5 thousand BC were also found. The Middle Chalcolithic Period, which is one of the least known periods of Western Anatolian prehistory, also represents a period when many Aegean islands were first settled and cultural interactions and trade began to increase in Western Anatolia and the Aegean world. The Chalcolithic Smintheion settlement is important in that it represents a period that characterized the pre-Troas region of Troas.
A museum where the temple friezes are exhibited has been opened to visitors in the area where excavations are continuing. Although the restoration works of the temple continue, some of the architecture has been restored.
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Dombalaktepe is a mound located in the Kamaz Valley, just east of the Ondokuz Mayıs University Kurupelit Campus in the Atakum District of Samsun Province. With the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the support of Ondokuz Mayıs University, the excavation of the mound was carried out in 2021 by It started with the scientific consultancy of Asc. Prof. Dr. Atila Türker. The fact that the prehistoric and prehistoric results were obtained according to the preliminary results at Dombalaktepe showed that the long-occupied mound has the potential to yield versatile results. The purpose of the excavations is to bring a new stratigraphy to Anatolian archeology in the Black Sea Region in the light of scientific research, to conduct inter-institutional and interdisciplinary studies, and to carry out applied education in which the students of Ondokuz Mayıs University Archeology Department take an active role.
n this sense, increasing and diversifying the number of public collaborations through archaeological excavations and researches in Dombalaktepe, reconsidering Black Sea archeology in a temporal dimension, updating the chronology of Black Sea archeology with new data, archeological data obtained as a result of excavations, interdisciplinary working groups, including archaeometric analysis, and various branches of science. methods, to provide field training to undergraduate and graduate students, especially at Ondokuz Mayıs University, to provide them with experience and professional knowledge, to introduce scientific research methods through scientific publication of the findings and to conduct social archeology studies by exhibiting the finds in the museum, to make the special position of the mound in the valley tourism It is aimed to create recreation and destination areas by evaluating its potential. In line with these purposes, undergraduate and graduate students of Ondokuz Mayıs University Archeology Department took responsibility as team members in the field and workshop studies carried out in the mound in 2021.
Necessary interviews were held in order to carry out various archaeometric analyzes on the archaeological remains obtained in cooperation with KİTAM. The preliminary observations obtained draw attention to the importance of dealing with the archeology of the Black Sea Region with new approaches and methods, and also reveal that the Dombalaktepe settlement contains up-to-date data on the lifestyle of the prehistoric communities living in the region.
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With the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, the Bolu/Claudiopolis Stadium excavation works were started on 21.07.2022 under the presidency of the Bolu Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism and the Museum Directorate. Samsun Ondokuz Mayıs University Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Department of Archeology Prof. Dr. It started on 21.07.2022 under the coordination of Davut YİĞİTPAŞA.
STADION
The city of Bithynium-Claudiopolis was established in the center of Bolu, in the area covering Hisartepe, Kargatepe, Fırkatepe and Uğurluanip hill. stadium; It was built by leaning on the south slope of Hisartepesi by using natural slope, using cut stones, without using mortar and with cladding technique. It extends parallel to İzzet Baysal Street in Akpınar district. As a result of the studies, it has been determined that 94.50 meters of the structure is still standing, and about the same amount has been destroyed long ago. Although it has only one row, it is considered to have been built in a 'U' plan type with a semicircular turning section called sphendone, since it continues in an inclined manner. A total of 5 sitting rows were unearthed. Seating rows are divided into 16 keiles (seating section between steps) with step sections descending in the north-south direction. The number of steps identified in the widest part of the stadium is 14.
STADION BOOK
The construction epitaph of the stadium was written on thin plates in a very regular way and placed in four panels on the balustrade that separates the running area from the spectator tribune in the middle of the building, thus emphasizing it visually. Although hundreds of building inscriptions belonging to the Roman Period are known in Anatolia, the architectural equivalent of this inscription found in Bolu is unknown. Approximately 20 meters. long inscription, 1 m. separating the running field from the northern spectator tribune. 7 thin marble slab inscriptions, which were seated on 4 panels in the middle of the high balustrade wall, were unearthed and 4 slabs could not be found. Inscription; It is engraved in two lines with fairly regular letters. The fact that these four panels, on which the inscription is placed, are visually brought to the fore; It gives the impression that this place forms the very middle of the stadium. In its Turkish translation, it is understood that the building was financed by Domitius Ponticus Iulianus and his family and was dedicated to Emperor Hadrianus, who was the ruler of the period.
OTTOMAN BATH
It was concluded that an architectural structure was found during the 2008 excavation, and that it belonged to an Ottoman Period building from the terracotta pipe and ceramic fragments, but no determination was made about the function of the building. The walls of the building, which is understood to be a bath, were built with coarse rubble stone, bricks and plenty of mortar. The walls of the building are plastered from the inside, but they are completely poured. It is an unpretentious, small size and single person bathing in the Ottoman period (Girçık, Çıkçık) bath. The name of the building, which was called 'Gir-Cik Bath' due to its lack of production, has been carried to the present day as 'Cik Cik Bath'.
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Asarkale is located in the Kızılırmak Valley, three kilometers west of Asar Neighborhood in Bafra district of Samsun, and three kilometers away from Altınkaya Dam. The fortified castle is located approximately 24 kilometers south of Bafra as the crow flies, and approximately two to three kilometers southwest of Asar Neighborhood. It is known that Kızılırmak River formed the natural border of Paphlagonia and Pontos regions in ancient times, and Asarkale undertook the task of controlling the river valley (river and land route) connecting the inner parts of Anatolia to the Black Sea coast via Bafra. The castle, which was built right on the edge of the river to ensure the safety of land and river routes, dates back to the Hellenistic Period and is understood to have been one of the last observation and control stages of Kızılırmak (=Halys) before it flowed into the Black Sea (=Pontos Euxenios) in ancient times.
Asarkale, which was established on a rocky area that reaches a height of approximately 135 meters from the Kızılırmak River to the north, is known to have a slope of 45 degrees, but it is also known to have a much steeper and higher slope in places. When the natural formation of the rock is examined, it is seen that the castle includes lateral areas in the south and southeast directions, and has a general field of view of approximately 225 degrees from northwest to east.
Studies, research and examinations carried out in Asarkale and its surroundings until 2024 are limited in number. In 2024, a team under the presidency of Samsun Museum and the scientific responsibility of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kasım Oyarçin, faculty member of the Archaeology Department of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Ondokuz Mayıs University, started archaeological excavations, restoration-conservation and landscaping works in the castle.
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Parion is located on the Anatolian side of the Propontis (Sea of Marmara) region, including the Biga Peninsula, in the west of Anatolian Turkey. Parion is situatedin Kemer Village, connected to the town of Balıklı Çeşme, in the Biga District of Çanakkale. Parion is located at Bodrum Burnu (Cape Bodrum). The city was founded at bothsides of a river where it empties into the sea and has a natural harbor, very much like other colonies established in the region during the 7th and 8th centuries BC. Although there is no definitive information about the foundation of Parion reports that the foundation of the city, which might be dated to 709 BC, might, amongst others, be related to the colonization by the city of Miletus, Erythrai, and Paros. In addition to these sources, Pausanias indicates that Parion was colonised by the city of Erythrai Modern research partially confirms the information provided by historical sources. Both modern and historical sources indicate that three cities may betaken as the founders of Parion: Erythrai, Paros, and Miletus.
There is a strong discussion about the role of Erythrai on the names of Oikists (= founders) and this discussion maystem from the fact that the names of some people came to light. Concludes that Paros was highly influential and likely to be the origin for the name of Parion. The city of Miletus was known as the founder of many colonies in the region. However, the only information on this issue is provided by ancient literary sources, as the excavation of Parion is currently in its initial stage, and no new archaeological evidence has yet been discovered.
In 2004, ground work started in the area of (what would become) the Sout Necropolis of the ancient city, in preparation of the construction of an elementary school, and subsequently graves and archaeological materials were uncovered. dating to Antiquity. Upon this development, rescue excavations were carried out in the area of the necropolis by the Archaeological Museum of Çanakkale in the same year. In 2005, however, systematic excavations were carried out in the ancient city for the first time by a team under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Cevat Başaran, who previously already had conducted archaeological surface research in the region between 1999 and 2002. Excavations have been continuing since 2015 under the director of Prof.Dr.Vedat KELEŞ.
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Karadeniz bölgesinin en büyük Roma şehirlerinden biri olan Sebastopolis antik kenti bugünkü Tokat ili Sulusaray ilçesi sınırları içinde bulunmaktadır. Kentte ilk olarak Tokat Müzesi başkanlığında1987-1990,2010,2013-2018 ve 2021-2023 yılları arasında kazılar yapılmıştır. Bu çalışmalarda sur duvarı, Roma hamamı, Bizans kilisesi ve mozaik parçaları açığa çıkarılmıştır. İki yıl aradan sonra Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı, Kültür Varlıkları ve Müzeler Genel Müdürlüğü’nün izni ile Tokat Müze Müdürlüğü Başkanlığı’nda ve Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi, İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Fakültesi, Arkeoloji Bölümü’nden Prof. Dr. Davut YİĞİTPAŞA’nın bilimsel sorumluluğunda kazılara yeniden başlanmıştır. Sebastopolis Antik Kenti, Roma Dönemi’nin önemli yerleşimlerinden biri olup, yapılan arkeolojik çalışmalarla Tunç, Hitit, Frig, Hellenistik, Roma, Bizans, Selçuklu ve Osmanlı Dönemleri’nden izler taşıyan kesintisiz bir yerleşim geçmişine sahiptir. Kazı çalışmaları Roma Hamamı ve Bizans Kilisesi kalıntılarının bulunduğu 2 sektörde yürütülmüştür. Üç apsisli, üç nefli bazilikal plan şemasında ve doğu-batı doğrultusunda uzanan Bizans Kilisesi’nin kazısı tamamlanmış olan bölümü dışta 27x29 metre boyutlarındadır ve günümüze ulaşan destek sistemi ana nefinin merkezinde dört büyük paye ile desteklenen ve yaklaşık on bir metre çapında bir kubbeye sahip olduğunu göstermektedir. Kilisenin orta nefinde, solea ve ambonun iki yanında yer alan opus sectile döşeme, kubbenin altında merkezi bir konumdadır. Kompozisyonun merkezinde, içinde sekiz köşeli yıldız motifi bulunan kare bir pano yer alır. Bu pano, köşelerinde dört adet düğümlü daire motifiyle bezenmiş büyük bir daire ile çevrelenmiştir. Bütün kompozisyon, çeşitli geometrik desenler içeren dikdörtgen bordürlerle çerçevelenmiştir. Kubbeyi taşıyan dört masif payeden güneydoğudakinin batı yüzünde, duvarın alt kısmında, mermer kaplamanın hemen üzerindeki seviyede başlayan bir duvar resmi kalıntısı tespit edilmiştir. Kısmen korunmuş olan bu kalıntı, kilisenin özgün bezeme programı hakkında önemli ipuçları sunmaktadır. Tasvir, bir perde imitasyonundan oluşmakta ve üzerinde iki satırlık yunanca bir yazıt barındırmaktadır. Roma Hamamı’ndayaptığımız çalışmalar sonrasında, hamamın Roma Dönemi’ne ait olduğu anlaşılmış, soyunmalık (apodyterium), soğukluk (frigidarium), ılıklık (tepidarium) ve sıcaklık (caldarium) bölümleri büyük ölçüde açığa çıkartılmıştır. Bazen hamama ek olarak inşa edilen bazen de yakın çevrede bulunan palaestra adı verilen kütüphane, galeri, park, eğitim, spor, toplantı ve tören alanları da doğrudan veya dolaylı hizmet sağlayan bu sosyal hizmet yapılarına henüz ulaşılamamıştır. Hamamın kesme blok taş duvar kalıntılarının üzerinde yer alan, harçlı moloztaş örgülü duvar kalıntılarından yapının Bizans Dönemi’nde de farklı amaçlar doğrultusunda kullanılmış olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.
