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Hürriyet Daily News reports that after six years, archaeologists have completed excavation of the theater in the ancient city of Prusias ad Hypium, known as the "Ephesus of the western Black Sea." Located in ancient Bithynia near modern-day Düzce, the settlement was an important trade hub along the road from Nicomedia to Amastris. Its large theater dates back to the third century b.c. and eventually held a capacity of 10,000 people. Over the past several seasons, the excavation team has uncovered several extraordinary works of art, including the head of a Medusa statue, a sculpture of Alexander the Great, and...

The writings of the historian Plutarch form a significant portion of our information concerning the rise of the Roman Republic, and its eventual end. In one of those texts, Plutarch's "Lives", he recounts something rather strange--the appearance in the sky of a bright flash of light and, apparently, a cylindrical object whose color is "like molten silver". What exactly was he describing? Was it a UFO, as some people (apparently including at least professional scholars) believe? Or something else?Did Ancient Romans See a UFO? I A strange account from Plutarch | 5:57The Historian's Craft | 74.2K subscribers | 31K views...

The ancient city of Aizanoi was founded as a Phrygian city on the western end of the Phrygia kingdom, in the present-day Çavdarhisar district of the western Anatolian province of Kütahya in Turkey. Aizanoi was home to the Aizanitisians, Phrygians, Greeks, Romans and Byzantines and the site was rediscovered by European travelers in 1824. The German Archaeological Institute began excavating in 1926 and works resumed in 1970, with them having accelerated significantly over the last two years. At this site, that’s listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List , over the years archaeologists have unearthed ancient stone heads and...

According to a statement by the Düzce Municipality, many blocks that are estimated to belong to the building of the theater stage have been discovered in the archaeological digs in the ancient city. Of the blocks decorated with floral and mythological elements, the most striking one depicts the hunter Actaeon, who was killed with his own dogs by angering the Goddess Artemis in mythology. Actaeon, who was torn by three dogs, is installed at the top of the block decorated with floral ornaments.It was reported that archaeologists have started cleaning the blocks featuring beautiful decorations unearthed from the orchestra section...

In AD 303 on February 23, the Christian church of Nicomedia in Roman Bithynia was utterly destroyed. In this case, by “church” I am referring to the physical building as opposed to the human beings of Nicomedia who professed the Christian faith. Their destruction would come later. The pulling down of the church of Nicomedia marked the beginning of a violent, Roman Empire-wide repression of Christianity known to future generations as the Great Persecution. This state-sponsored attack would be the most violent, wide-ranging, and longest-lasting effort of the Roman government to wipe out the hated Christian sect. It would also...

Excavations at a tower in the Tophane portion of Bursa’s city walls have revealed a basilica from the early Roman era that could be one of the oldest structures ever discovered in the northwestern province. Architect İbrahim Yılmaz, who has been conducting the restoration projects on Bursa’s city walls, said the Tophane city walls restoration project included an area of 1,200 square meters from the north of the Saltanat Gate to the Kaplıca Gate... Speaking about the technical features of the basilica, Yılmaz said: “There is a round apse [the place for religious ceremonies] and a window bay in front...

For more than two centuries, a dark and sinister secret has laid buried deep within the walls of the ancient Bithynian kingdom. Archaeologists excavating the 2,300-year-old remains of the region in modern-day Bursa, Turkey have uncovered a series of dungeons and tunnels that would have been used to lead prisoners to their death. Inside these dungeons, the researchers also found torture chambers, death pits and even a well covered in what appears to be blood. Archaeologists excavating city walls of the 2,300-year-old region of Bithynia in modern-day Bursa, Turkey, have uncovered a series of dungeons and tunnels. Stock image of...