Underwater work to begin at Soli Pompeiopolis

With a historical heritage dating back to the ancient age, the Soli Pompeiopolis site in the southern Turkish province of Mersin will soon be explored from under the Mediterranean, in addition to ongoing excavation work on land.

The ancient site of Soli Pompeiopolis located in the southeastern province
 city of Mersin’s Mezitli district [Credit: DHA]

Located in Turkey's Mezitli district, the 3,000-year-old ancient site’s excavation work has been carried out above ground since 1999. However, upon the instruction of Mezitli Mayor Neşet Tarhan, a Selçuk University Underwater Archaeology research vessel will be working in cooperation with UNESCO to integrate the Soli Pompeiopolis site to its field work next summer, in an attempt to extract more artefacts.

The site has been acknowledged as one of the key ports of the Roman era, dating back to the first century BC, with its 200 pillars between two entrances towards the north and south.

Above: Aerial photograph of Soloi's harbour [Credit: Prof. Remzi Yağci]; 
Below: Sketch impression of the 2nd Century AD harbour 
[Credit: C. Brandon]

Professor Remzi Yağcı, the head of the excavation, said the site had been submerged under the waters of the Mediterranean after an earthquake in 525 AD.

Initially named Soloi, the settlement was supposedly founded by Argives following the Trojan wars and populated by Rhodians from Lindos some four centuries later.

Subsequently it was ravaged during the Mithradatic wars (89 – 81BC) and eventually abandoned. In 67 BC, Pompey the Great restored the city and colonised it with survivors from his successful campaign against the Cilician pirates who re-named it Pompeiopolis.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [August 10, 2015]