Roman bath of the Ancient City of Herakleia is being unearthed

Various structures have been uncovered and significant information has been obtained during the excavations carried out in the Ancient City of Herakleia in the Kapıkırı neighborhood of Milas, as part of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's Heritage for the Future Project.

Prof. Dr. Zeliha Gider Büyüközer, a faculty member at Selçuk University's Department of Archaeology and head of the excavations, told an AA reporter that Herakleia was a port city located on the shores of Lake Bafa in ancient times.

Explaining that Herakleia lost its status as a port city over time because the mouth of the bay was closed by alluvium carried by the Menderes River, Büyüközer stated that the settlement in the city shrank as a result.

Büyüközer noted that they have obtained data indicating that long-term settlement continued in the ancient city until the middle of the 13th century AD.

Emphasizing that they have started the fourth season of excavation work in Herakleia, Büyüközer stated that the work in the historical area was included in the Heritage for the Future Project this year.

"WE ARE EXCAVATING AN IMPORTANT STRUCTURE"

Stating that they started excavations at the city's Roman bath within the scope of the project and reached very important data in a short time, Büyüközer said:

"The Roman bath is a very important structure for the ancient city. It is the only surviving structure from the Roman period in Herakleia. With the ongoing work, we will also uncover other structures from the Roman period."

"It was stated that the city lost its importance in the Roman period with the closing of the mouth of the bay. However, the data we have obtained in the work we have been doing for 3 years suggests that the city largely maintained its importance in both the Roman and Late Antique periods. For this reason, we are excavating an important structure."

Büyüközer explained that the data will help shed light on the city, especially during the Roman period.

Stating that they will uncover many details in the Roman bath by the end of the year, Büyüközer said, "We currently know of 7 rooms in the bath. Our excavation work continues in the Caldarium (hot room in Roman baths) section. In the excavations we have carried out, mosaics have been uncovered on the floors of two rooms.

"In the excavations we have carried out, mosaics have been uncovered on the floors of two rooms."

"We think that we will encounter similar flooring on the floors of the other rooms as well," she said.