Vast marble pavement of ancient agora found in Turkey
An enormous area of marble pavement has been discovered intact in the agora of the ancient city of Magnesia near Aydn on the Aegean coast of Turkey. The uninterrupted pavement covers an astonishing 10,000 square meters (2.5 acres).The marble floor of the agora has survived in such exceptional condition because it was covered by layers of silt deposited when earthquakes caused the Meander River to burst its banks. Archaeologists unearthed 13 feet of fill before they reached the architectural structures beneath it.The agora was the main square where citizens participated in the political, religious and commercial life of the city. Magnesias agora has been excavated regularly since 2021. The 10,000 square feet uncovered so far is less than half of the 25,000 square meter agora. It is one of the largest agoras in the ancient Mediterranean, and the best preserved.It is surrounded on all four sides by stoas (columned galleries), all of which also have marble pavements. They were used, among other things, as government archives. Almost 200 inscriptions have been found in the excavation of just two comparatively small areas.[Excavation Director Assoc. Prof. Dr.] Kkdemir emphasized that the agora is the heart of the city and that they expect to uncover many inscriptions. He said, Think of this place not as a place where shopping takes place, which we call the state agora or the sacred agora, but as a monumental complex that houses the heart and soul of the city and where past knowledge is transmitted to the future. In other words, the memory of the city is in the information within this structure. Thats why we are in a very important agora.Kkdemir added that with the completion of the excavations, they will obtain important information for Western Anatolia.Magnesia was founded by colonists of the Magnetes tribe from Thessaly in the 4th century B.C. It grew into a hub of commerce thanks to its central location equidistant from Ephesus, Priene and Tralleis, three of the largest cities in the Aegean region. Magnesias public buildings included a theater, several bath complexes, a hippodrome that seated 40,000 spectators, the Sanctuary of Artemis and the Temple of Zeus in the agora.
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