2 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

2,000-year-old altar found in Alexandria Troas

A 2,000-year-old altar was unearthed during the ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Alexandria Troas, in a region close to the sea in Çanakkale’s Ezine district.

Alexandria Troas, which is located near the village of Dalyan at the exit of the Dardanelles Strait and turned into a port city after becoming a Roman colony, had a strong economy that grew steadily in the 1st to 4th centuries.

The city, whose population reached around 100 thousand in this period, but started to shrink with the weakening of its economy, was largely abandoned at the end of the 9th century.

In the forum, which is located in the center of the ancient city, structures such as the podium hall and temple, the odeon, the bath, and the theater are among the ruins that have reached today.

Ankara University Archeology Department Lecturer and Head of Excavation Professor Erhan Öztepe told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they continue the excavations in the ancient city with the permission and support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Turkish Historical Society, and the opportunities provided by the main sponsor İÇDAŞ AŞ.

Alexandria Troas
2,000-year-old altar found in Alexandria Troas, Canakkale, Turkey. Photo: AA

Archaeologists in charge of the excavation continue their work by taking advantage of the possibilities of technology for new finds.

Noting that they carried out studies with the underground x-ray system last year, in the studies supported by Ankara University and Ezine and Geyikli municipalities, Öztepe stated that this year they first evaluated the data that emerged last year.

Explaining that they opened control drillings in the region with the data they obtained, Erhan Öztepe continued as follows:

“One of these control soundings revealed the remains of a building, which may be an altar. We dug and saw that it was the same as the temple. It has the same architectural structure, it shows the same building character. It is a building that should belong to the 1st century AD. We were able to go down to 7 meters. It has a foundation that goes down even further. It is a very deep foundation. It has lost all its covering and architectural ornaments to a large extent. “Unfortunately, the situation encountered throughout the city at one time is valid here as well. It is important that a structure that we can call an altar is in front of the temple.”

Related Articles

Archaeologists discovered a sunken prehistoric fort in Clew Bay island

1 April 2024

1 April 2024

A sunken prehistoric fort has been discovered on Clew Bay island off the north Mayo coast, Ireland. It has been...

2,000-Year-Old Dancing Man Statuette Unearthed in Siberia

6 May 2021

6 May 2021

During excavations for a new bridge over the Ob River in Novosibirsk, Russia’s third-largest district, a ten-centimeter-tall figurine was discovered....

Sorcery in Australian Cloggs Cave may be World’s Oldest Known Culturally Transmitted Ritual

1 July 2024

1 July 2024

Two sticks found in a cave in Australia show signs of processing that perfectly match Aboriginal sorcery and curse-making practices...

God Vishnumurthy Statue Found in a Well in Karnataka

28 February 2021

28 February 2021

A statue of the god Vishnumurthy dumped into a well was found near a destroyed Udupi temple in the state...

Seven metal detectorists found 2,584 silver coins in a southwest England field “the most expensive treasure ever found in the United Kingdom”

27 October 2024

27 October 2024

In early 2019, seven metal detectorists found a cache of 2,584 silver coins dating to the Norman Conquest that had...

Ancient skeletons buried with gold jewelry and expensive leather shoes found in newly discovered Roman necropolis in Italy

5 January 2024

5 January 2024

Archaeologists involved in a two-year-long excavation project at the site of a planned solar energy plant ancient city of Tarquinia,...

What Lies Beneath Bor Ovoo? Turkish and Mongolian Researchers Set to Unearth Ancient Nomadic Traditions

20 July 2025

20 July 2025

Renowned historian Prof. Dr. Kürşad Yıldırım, a leading expert in Central Asian nomadic cultures from Istanbul University, is spearheading a...

The excavations in Selinunte, Italy, which has the largest Agora in the Ancient World, “The results have gone well beyond expectations”

29 July 2022

29 July 2022

In the Selinunte, one of the most important archaeological sites of the Greek period in Italy, the outlines of the...

Archaeological excavations unearthed the first great Iberian city in Contestania and the oldest one

11 May 2024

11 May 2024

Archaeologists from the University of Alicante and the University of Murcia “Damas y Héroes. In the project “Tras la Ilici...

Ancient Murals of Two-faced Figures Found in Peru

21 March 2023

21 March 2023

Archaeologists are reporting a number of fascinating discoveries as work on the excavations at Pañamarca progresses that are helping to...

Scientists Uncover 22,000-Year-Old Evidence of Prehistoric Transport

9 March 2025

9 March 2025

In a remarkable glimpse into the ingenuity of our early ancestors, recent research reveals that 22,000 years ago, humans may...

Archaeologists have discovered 85 ancient tombs, a watchtower, and a temple site in Egypt’s Gabal al-Haridi region

5 May 2022

5 May 2022

The Egyptian archaeological mission discovered 85 tombs, a watchtower, and a temple site in the Gabal al-Haridi area of Sohag,...

A Large Copper Age Necropolis Discovered in Italian Town

16 February 2024

16 February 2024

In the town of San Giorgio Bigarello, near the northern Italia city of Mantua, a large Copper Age necropolis dating...

The statue head of Hygieia, the Greek goddess of health, found stuck between two rocks in Laodikeia

21 May 2024

21 May 2024

A 2100-year-old statue head of the Hygieia (Health) Goddess was found during the excavations in the ancient city of Laodikeia...

Archaeologists discover a 4,000-year-old ancient city in the Iraqi Dhi Qar region

20 July 2021

20 July 2021

An astonishing find was made by archaeologists in Iraq‘s Dhi Qar province, where an ancient settlement estimated to be 4,000...