Archaeologists are uncovering and restoring a rare ancient library in Stratonikeia, one of southwestern Türkiye’s most important cities of the Carians, a people the Greek historian Herodotus wrote of in the fifth century B.C.
Located in Muğla and listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage Tentative List, Stratonikeia is one of the world’s largest known marble cities and is also known as the "City of Gladiators.” Excavations at the site have been ongoing since 1977 and continue now year-round.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Pamukkale University archaeologist Bilal Söğüt, head of the Stratonikeia and Lagina excavation team, said the library is nestled at the junction of four main streets in the city center.
Originally built in the Hellenistic era after the death of Alexander the Great, the site was redesigned during the Roman era – with mosaics added to the structure – and remained in use into the A.D. fourth century, Söğüt added.
Inscriptions on the mosaics indicate the library was constructed by a master builder from Ephesus, he noted, referring to a famed site along Türkiye’s Aegean coast.
Söğüt’s team has been excavating the site for roughly five years. During this period, they have partially uncovered the library’s entrance section, the connecting passage to South Street, the surrounding porticoes, the courtyard, the main reading hall and several adjoining rooms, he said.
He said the building was damaged in a powerful earthquake around 610, which devastated the city and led to the library being abandoned.
"We have identified the full story of the structure - how it has changed since its establishment, how it was restored after the earthquake, how people have used it again, and how much importance people have attached to it in every period,” he said.
"We have determined all the sections of the ancient-era library to a certain extent. We also uncovered the columns and superstructure elements belonging to the courtyard area. In the upcoming period, by reconstructing a portion of these columns, we want visitors to witness the grandeur of the ancient library.”
"Thanks to the excavations, we made significant findings and realized that we are in a magnificent library. Now we know its entire plan. We have also determined that this plan differs from other known library plans in Anatolia and that it served as an example for a library in North Africa," he said.
