EXCAVATIONS OF KEMER IDYROS ANCIENT CITY

Idyros ancient city is located in Kemer district of Antalya province.

The first archaeological studies in Idyros were carried out under the chairmanship of the Antalya Museum between 1976 and 1977. In these studies, the focus was on the mosaic church and the studies were mainly carried out in this facility. The second period of excavations started in 2017. These excavations were conducted under the direction of Antalya Museum and It was made under the scientific consultancy of Assoc. Dr. Hakan Öniz and Asst. Assoc. Dr. Murat Karademir. According to the information we can obtain from limited ancient sources, the city is thought to be a maritime city. The Greek cross planned mosaic church dating back to the 4th century AD, the necropolis area with amphora tombs and the Roman bridge pillar are among the finds in the city. Additionally, amphora tombs in the necropolis area constitute the rare tomb types in the world. The similar tomb types dating back to the 7th - 4th centuries BC are located in Balıkesir and İzmir in Turkey. The tombs are dated between the 1st - 3rd centuries AD in the Idyros Ancient City and similar tombs have been found in Italy, Spain, and North Africa. Other buildings used for social and commercial purposes are located around the church. Excavations continue to understand the functions of the aforementioned structures. The ceramic remains belonging to the 5th - 4th centuries BC were found during the excavations carried out by T.Özoral between 1976 and 1977. Based on these finds, it is known that the history of the Idyros Ancient City goes back to the Hellenistic Period. However, the finds obtained so far are mainly dated to the Roman and Byzantine periods.