The discovery of a second ancient port in Parion, a Roman Empire harbor city with a history of 2,700 years, has been announced during underwater explorations in Kemer village, located in Biga district of Çanakkale.

This year's excavation work is being led by Prof. Dr. Vedat Keleş, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Head of the Archaeology Department at Ondokuz Mayıs University, with a team of 25 members, including 17 international delegates.

"The port was mentioned in ancient sources"

Prof. Dr. Vedat Keleş, Head of Excavations, stated, "This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Parion excavations, which is a significant pride for us. Over the past two decades, the excavations at Parion have greatly contributed in terms of excavation, restoration-conservation, publication, and training of scientists. This year, we took a significant step by initiating underwater studies. As we all know, Parion is an important harbor city in Northern Troas. We already knew about a southern port, which was mentioned in ancient sources. We speculated there might be a northern port, but it was always a question mark. With the underwater studies initiated this year, we confirmed that this area also served as a port."

"Upcoming underwater studies will provide us with detailed information"

Prof. Dr. Keleş noted that Parion was a legion colony, adding, "This port might be different in function compared to the southern commercial port. It's smaller and filled with alluvium deposited by a stream running through the city. This suggests it could have been a military port. When we think of a military port, it's important to remember that Parion was a legion colony. Hence, it might have served military purposes. Future underwater studies will provide us with more detailed information on this matter."

"Excavations continue in the theater and agora"

Prof. Dr. Keleş explained that excavation work continues in two areas this season: the theater and the agora. "Foreign faculty members are working in the agora sector, while we are working in the theater sector. Limited labor availability hinders our progress, but we strive to work within our means. The theater sector is challenging due to high levels of damage. A fortification wall was built over the stage building, and almost all the seating rows and architectural parts of the theater were used in this wall. Therefore, the structure underwent significant changes in later periods. Despite the damage and slow progress, our team is working diligently. Additionally, restoration work continues."

"We need to uncover the city"

Prof. Dr. Keleş emphasized the goal of bringing Parion Ancient City to its deserved prominence in a short time, stating, "There is much to be done to achieve this, such as completing expropriations and securing labor. We are a relatively new excavation team, and the city we are excavating has a high level of damage. We need to uncover the city, which requires labor support. I appeal to local authorities for support, especially in providing labor, so we can conduct excavations continuously for 12 months, as long as the climate permits."