17 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Stone reliefs describing the Persian-Greek wars were found in the ancient city of Daskyleion in northwestern Turkey

A relief depicting a fifth-century BC battle between the Greeks and Persians was discovered in the ancient city of Dascylium in the Bandırma district of Balikesir, northwest Turkey.

Archeological excavations at the ancient city of Daskyleion, which has evidence of numerous Anatolian civilizations, continue under the direction of Professor Kaan İren, Faculty Member of Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University’s Archeology Department.

According to archeologist Kaan Iren, who heads the excavation site of the ancient city of Dascylium, the figures on the relief show fighting Greek soldiers beneath the hoofs of Persian warhorses.

“Here is a scene of propaganda under the pretext of war. We can say these reliefs are a scene from the Persian-Greek wars,” Iren told Anadolu Agency.

He added: “We think these reliefs were probably made for propaganda purposes during the wars.”

Professor Kaan İren told: "Here is a scene of propaganda under the pretext of war. We can say these reliefs are a scene from the Persian-Greek wars,"
Professor Kaan İren told: “Here is a scene of propaganda under the pretext of war. We can say these reliefs are a scene from the Persian-Greek wars,”

Professor Iren said that the first settlers of the ancient city were the Phrygians. Stating that the reliefs carved into the stone were cleaned by the restorers in the excavation house, İren said:

“The relief, dating from the Persian era, from the 5th century BC, depicts the war between the Persians and the Greeks. This was one of the most important achievements of the season for us. In the figures on it, there are Greek soldiers fighting and Persians on horseback fighting them. Greek soldiers are depicted under the feet of Persian horses,” he said.

The excavation team discovered the relief while trying to unearth the 8th century BC wall from the Phrygian period. The five-meter-wide wall is believed to have been built by the ancient Phrygian civilization to protect its territory.

Profesör Kaan İren, “Of the eighth-century-B.C. wall left from the Phrygian age, this year we unearthed an area of four meters (13.1 feet) high and 40 meters long. We think this wall, which is made of stone and mudbrick with the mudbrick parts having disappeared over time, was seven or eight meters high,” said.

Iren stated that the discovery of the relief during the excavations of the wall surprised the team and became one of the season’s most significant discoveries.

Balıkesir Governorship, Balıkesir Metropolitan Municipality, Bandırma, and Manyas municipalities, Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, Bandırma Çelebi Port Management, and Hydrogen Peroxide, Banvit, Mauri Maya, Torunlar Gıda companies also support the excavation.

Related Articles

Cave paintings discovered in western Turkey carry the region’s past back to prehistory

18 December 2021

18 December 2021

During the archaeological survey carried out in and around the ancient city of Alinda in Aydın province in western Turkey,...

Archaeologists Unearthed a 1000-year-old Medieval Game Collection in a Castle in Southern Germany

4 June 2024

4 June 2024

Archaeologists found a collection of medieval game pieces at a forgotten castle in southern Germany. Among the discoveries are a...

Ruins of the 700-year-old wharf, possibly used by royalty, found in Oslo

6 March 2023

6 March 2023

An excavation by NIKU archaeologists in Oslo’s seaside neighborhood of Bjørvika has uncovered the remains of a long section of...

Stunning carved stone depicting a mystery naked horseman is discovered at the Roman fort of Vindolanda

30 June 2021

30 June 2021

Near Hadrian’s Wall in northern England, archaeologists discovered a carved sandstone slab portraying a naked horseman. During the annual excavations...

Ancient Water Pipeline Unearthed on 65-Meter Hill in Tajikistan Reveals Engineering Marvel of the Past

19 August 2025

19 August 2025

Archaeologists in Tajikistan have made a groundbreaking discovery at the Mugtepa settlement in Istaravshan: an ancient water pipeline system, constructed...

Newly Discovered Two Fortress Settlements and a New Type of Open-Air Temple in Eastern Anatolia Region of Türkiye

26 March 2024

26 March 2024

Two fortress settlements and two new open-air temples were discovered during a survey in Tunceli province in the Eastern Anatolia...

Analysis of Ancient Scythian Leather Samples Shows Ancient Scythians Made Leather from Human Skin

20 December 2023

20 December 2023

The ancient Scythians’ history as fearsome warriors dates back more than 2,000 years, and now research from a multi-institutional team...

1,800-Year-Old Roman Watchtower Discovered in Croatia

3 August 2025

3 August 2025

Archaeologists in Croatia have uncovered the remains of a 1,800-year-old Roman watchtower that once stood guard along the empire’s northern...

The 2800-year-old Urartians Lake, which is an engineering masterpiece of its time, is drying

13 July 2023

13 July 2023

Keşiş Lake in Van, in eastern Turkey, which was built by the Urartu King Rusa 2,800 years ago, was negatively...

Mystery of the World’s Oldest Map on a Nearly 3,000-year-old Babylonian Tablet Finally Solved

28 October 2024

28 October 2024

A recent British Museum video reveals that the “oldest map of the world in the world” on a clay tablet...

Italian Research Team May Have Found Plato’s Burial Site in Athens

23 April 2024

23 April 2024

Graziano Ranocchia, a papyrologist at the University of Pisa, said he found Plato’s exact burial place based on papyri findings...

Archaeologists find remains of Norman Bridge during dig in Chichester’s Priory Park, England

1 June 2024

1 June 2024

During an excavation in West Sussex, England, archaeologists uncovered the remains of a military causeway, or bridge, that led to...

1,400-Year-Old Bronze Cauldron Discovered in Pergamon’s ‘Mosaic House’

27 July 2025

27 July 2025

A remarkable archaeological discovery has been made in the ancient city of Pergamon (modern-day Bergama) in Turkey’s İzmir Province. Excavations...

Parts of the City of the old city of Ghadames called the pearl of the desert collapsed due to rainfall

28 January 2022

28 January 2022

Some parts of the Old City of Ghadames, located in an oasis about 600km southwest of Tripoli near Libya’s border...

Elite Roman man buried with a silver crossbow brooch, first of its kind found in Wales

15 July 2023

15 July 2023

Archaeologists in Wales have made an intriguing discovery near a Roman villa. They have discovered the skeleton of a man...