19 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

A 4000-Year-Old Trading Port was Discovered in Istanbul

Archaeological excavations carried out on a peninsula in the middle of Istanbul Küçükçekmece Lake unearthed a very important 4,000-year-old trade port and cultural layer.

The Bathonea excavations, led by Şengül Aydıngün, yield data that will shed light on the history of Istanbul.

Stating that Istanbul was discovered by the Ancient Greeks around 680 BC, Assoc. Dr. Şengül Aydıngün said that the Bathonea excavation area was started to be used at that time and that the Byzantium City State founded by Byzantium could be defined as a port settlement.

We Reached the Cultural Layer 

Aydıngün said, “Approximately 20-25 cm. We observed sea sand and soil formation on it. After the sea receded, agricultural land was formed. After the formation of the B two layers, people come and start building the first structures. One of these structures is an early Christian church of 3 naves. It was demolished and built several times, and eventually, It was completely abandoned by an earthquake in the 11th century. Here we have identified earthquakes in the 6th and 11th centuries.

The Bathonea excavations
Şengül Aydıngün, “A very important cultural layer for Istanbul has been unearthed in the ancient city of Bathonea.”

We identified a very important cultural layer for Istanbul in this region where there are also middle bronze age materials. Because; “A layer belonging to the year 2000 BC. has not been recorded in Istanbul until today,” she said.

Tin puts the region in a strategic position

We think it is a very important trade center. A trading place dating back 3,500 / 4,000 years from today… We think the tin mine has arrived. Saying that tin, which is a very important mine for bronze making, puts the region in a strategic position, archaeologist Dr. Haldun Aydıngün said: “When we look at the wall system that has been unearthed, it is seen that it does not belong to a house or a temple. I think we’re digging warehouses here. We also found plenty of tin material at the bottom of the warehouse. The materials found were stored in Bathonea port while passing through the middle of an intercontinental trade area, but could not be carried to the customer, stayed here.

The professor who participated in the excavations from Poland Wroclaw University. Dr. Blazej Stanislawski said: “The port encountered was probably the largest and most important port of the Byzantine capital. It is very interesting that it is a large harbor within the walls. We also know that from the 9th century until the 11th century, there was a very important trade route extending from the Russian Region in Eastern Europe to the Black Sea and Constantinople before the Baltic Sea region. 

Related Articles

Sacred Hill of Moon God Sin “Sogmatar”

23 June 2022

23 June 2022

Sogmatar, Şanlıurfa is 53 kilometers from Harran. It is located in Yağmurlu village, where there are important springs in the...

Grave Goods Show Gendered Roles for Neolithic Age

16 April 2021

16 April 2021

Grave goods, such as stone tools, have revealed that Neolithic farmers had different work-related activities for men and women. Researchers...

“Mosaic of the Wine Harvest” mosaic to be exhibited in November in Turkey’s Hatay

26 October 2021

26 October 2021

The mosaic depicting the grape harvest, which is considered to date from the Late Roman period, equivalent to the 5th...

Underwater Archaeologists Discover a 7,000-Year-Old Road in Croatia

8 May 2023

8 May 2023

A team of underwater archaeologists from the University of Zadar has discovered the sunken ruins of a 7,000-year-old road that...

An 8,500-year-old trepanned skull discovered in Çatalhöyük

23 December 2023

23 December 2023

Traces of trepanation (skull drilling operation) were found on a skull found in the 9,000-year-old Çatalhöyük, near the modern city...

3600 years old Unique ancient drinking bowls on display at Boğazkale Museum

15 August 2021

15 August 2021

The 3,600-year-old fist-shaped drinking bowls found in excavations in Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Civilization, which shaped the Anatolian...

4,000-Year-Old Dilmun Temple Discovered on Failaka Island, Kuwait

12 November 2024

12 November 2024

A joint Danish-Kuwaiti excavation team led by the Mosgard Museum has uncovered a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age temple linked to the...

Archaeologists have unearthed a stone chest containing the ritual deposit of 15 anthropomorphic figurines

1 September 2023

1 September 2023

Archaeologists have unearthed a stone chest containing the ritual deposit of 15 anthropomorphic figurines that were placed as votive offerings...

Ancient helmets, temple ruins found at a dig in Velia southern Italy

1 February 2022

1 February 2022

A discovery that “sheds new light on the history of the mighty Greek colony” by Velia. Archaeologists in southern Italy...

A former Spanish disco-pub confirmed as lost medieval Synagogue

11 February 2023

11 February 2023

In the Andalucian city of Utrera, archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a 14th-century synagogue. The discovery, made public on...

Ancient Jordanian town referred to as Heshbon in the Old Testament provides insight into regional agricultural history

20 January 2022

20 January 2022

The American archaeologist stated that Tell Hisban, located on the Madaba plains of Jordan, represents the “granary of the empires”....

Study Reveals Mysterious Avars Origin

1 April 2022

1 April 2022

Ruled much of Central and Eastern Europe for 250 years, the Avars were less well known than Attila’s Huns, but...

Archaeological Complex from the Bulgar-Golden Horde Period Discovered in Tatarstan

22 March 2025

22 March 2025

Recent archaeological research conducted in the Alekseevski municipal district, located in the Republic of Tatarstan, has uncovered an archaeological complex...

A still life fresco discovered in new excavations of Pompeii Regio IX

28 June 2023

28 June 2023

Archaeologists excavating the ancient city of Pompeii have uncovered a gorgeous still-life fresco depicting a platter covered in food and...

Bronze Age women’s jewelry set discovered in Güttingen carrot field, Swiss

17 October 2023

17 October 2023

A set of Bronze Age women’s jewelry was discovered by archaeologists in Güttingen, Thurgau canton, northeastern Switzerland, in a freshly...