Soli (Pompeiopolis) -- Turkish Archaeological News
Posted on 10/18/2020 11:05:41 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Archaeologists working in the ancient Greek city of Soli Pompeipolis in the southern Mersin province in Turkey have unveiled the memorial tomb of the Greek poet and astronomer Aratus, who was born in 315 BC.
The city, located in the ancient region of Paphlagonia, was still prominent during Roman times but was only rediscovered in the 1800s with the unearthing of the ruins of Zimbilli Tepe in the Black Sea region of the country.
Soli Pompeipolis, lying just across the river from Tasköprü, in the Gökirmak (Greek: Amnias) Valley, in ancient times stretched as far as the Küre and ilgaz mountains.
The tomb of the gifted poet and astronomer is being excavated by Professor Remzi Yagci, who is the head of the Department of Museology at Turkey's Dokuz Eylül University.
According to the archaeologist, the discovery is of lasting importance to the history of the area and will be of great interest to travelers who will want to see the monument. Speaking to interviewers from the Anadolu News Agency, Yagci said "For the first time, a memorial tomb has been unearthed linked to the archaeology of the ancient city of Soli Pompeiopolis...
Yagci added that Aratus was widely known during both the Hellenistic and Roman periods and his works on astronomy, as well as his poetry, are still read and studied to this day.
Additionally, he noted that NASA had named a crater on the moon after the brilliant Greek thinker, leading the archaeologist to hope that the tomb of the great man will one day be included on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.
(Excerpt) Read more at greece.greekreporter.com ...
That would be called a cenotaph.
“Pompeipolis”..................A clue..................
Pompey the Great added some nice chunks of territory to the Roman Empire, and this ended when he because Pompey the Not-so-Great at Pharsalus.
In Ancient Rome, you’re only as good as your last battle.....................
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
