Archaeologists Find 2,200-Year-Old Roman Fountain In Türkiye’s Ancient City

Excavations in the ancient city of Assos, which have been continuing uninterrupted for 42 years, have revealed a Roman-era fountain, says the head of archaeological digs

The remains of a 2,200-year-old Roman fountain have been unearthed in northwestern Türkiye, archaeologists at the ancient site of Assos said.

Located within the borders of the village of Behramkale in the Ayvacık district of Çanakkale province, the ancient city sheds light on the past with its richness above ground and the Roman and Byzantine artifacts being unearthed through excavations.

Professor Nurettin Arslan from the Faculty of Science and Letters at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University’s Archaeology Department, who is also the head of excavations in Assos, said the site is among the excavations carried out throughout the year in Türkiye and that work in the region has continued uninterruptedly for 42 years.

Noting that scientists and academics from some universities in Germany and a team of 30 people took part in the latest excavations, Arslan said, “Since the working conditions in the field were a bit intense in the winter, we continued to document the archaeological materials we previously found during that period.

In addition, we prepared for the restoration of the city walls. With the arrival of summer, our active work on the land has started. We are excavating different areas in the ancient city.”

According to the excavation head, one of the areas where digs are taking place this year is home to a gymnasium dating back to the Hellenistic period.

He stated that they are focusing on the cisterns built as an add-on during the Roman period in the well-protected gymnasium, which was the high school of the Hellenistic era.

Arslan said that Assos is located on a high hill, in an area devoid of natural water resources.

For this reason, there are underground water tanks and cisterns made by carving or cutting rocks in both official buildings and homes in the ancient city.

Noting that the fountain structure was found in front of the Roman-era cisterns of the gymnasium, he continued: “According to our initial findings, we learned that it was a magnificent fountain structure. We know of many cisterns in Assos, but this is the first time we’ve come across a monumental fountain structure.”