Ancient harbor discovered underwater in Perinthos

TEKİRDAĞ

Excavations in the 5,000-year-old ancient city of Perinthos in the northwestern province of Tekirdağ's Marmaraereğlisi district have revealed the remains of a harbor structure beneath the sea, according to Professor Zeynep Koçel Erdem from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, who leads the archaeological team.

“Our underwater dives have begun. The aim is to document the cultural assets submerged in the sea. We have identified small findings such as sarcophagi and block stones, but more importantly, a harbor structure has been detected in the eastern, or commercial, port area,” Erdem said. “A detailed study of this structure will be carried out in the coming years.”

Excavations at the ancient site, located in the Bayraktepe area of Marmaraereğlisi, began in 2021 to uncover the remains of Perinthos, which features the largest ancient theater discovered in Thrace. Archaeologists have also unearthed sculptures and graves during the ongoing work.

Erdem, who heads the Archaeology Department at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, said the discoveries show that the area was inhabited long before previously believed. “We have unearthed stone tools and prehistoric ceramics, which reveal settlement from prehistoric times,” she said. “It was long written in ancient sources and modern literature that this ancient city was founded by settlers from the Greek island of Samos in the 6th century B.C. However, this information has now been overturned because we have found numerous remains from earlier settlements.”

She added that the findings indicate a sequence of civilizations in the region: prehistoric communities, then the Thracians, followed by conflicts between Thracian tribes such as the Paeonians, and later Greek colonists, who eventually assimilated. “The city’s history continues with the Byzantines and then the Romans,” she said.

Erdem emphasized the city’s importance during the Roman period. “Perinthos became the capital of Thrace and a favored city of emperors,” she said. “The emperors granted the title of Neokoros, giving the city the privilege to establish temples — a great honor. Accordingly, it was adorned with monumental buildings. Our excavations continue in the theater area, which is part of the acropolis section that includes temples and large public structures.”

The excavation team began with the theater because surface traces indicated its presence, she noted. “Although there was a six-meter fill layer, we reached the seating rows beneath it,” she said. “Architectural and ceramic findings suggest that the theater was built in the early Roman period, around the late first century A.D., and remained in use until the sixth century, when theaters were generally closed.”

Highlighting the city’s extensive coastline, Erdem said the team has expanded its research to the underwater section. “Perinthos has a very long shoreline,” she said. “We have started our dives to document submerged cultural assets. Alongside small discoveries, we identified a harbor structure in the eastern port area. A detailed study will follow in the coming years. Our team of 40 includes underwater archaeology specialists.”