Aspendos
Aspendos
Türkiye · Antalya
In brief
Aspendos is a Pamphylian city known for its Roman theatre and water supply system. Excavations cover the agora, streets, houses and other urban buildings as well as the theatre.
What was found?
- 1Roman theater
The theater, whose stage building and seating area are largely preserved, is an important example of Roman performance architecture. The entrance inscription identifies the architect Zenon and the two brothers who donated the building.
- 2Aqueducts and inverted siphon system
The arches, stone water channels, and rising siphon arrangement enabled water to cross the valley and reach the city. The surviving remains allow the workings of Roman water engineering to be studied.
- 3Statue of Hermes
A marble statue of Hermes was found among the ruins of the monumental fountain during the 2025 excavations. Depicted with a money pouch, staff, and a ram beside him, the work sheds light on the fountain’s sculptural decoration.
- 4Fragments of other divine statues
Heads of Aphrodite and Eros and statue fragments belonging to Artemis and Nemesis were found in the same area as the statue of Hermes. This group shows that the monumental fountain was decorated with depictions of multiple deities.
What does it point to?
The theater and water system show that urban life depended on both communal performances and extensive infrastructure. The statues recovered from the fountain reveal that public spaces were also furnished with religious imagery.
What did it teach us?
- Documented the ability of Roman engineers to transport water across a valley through a pressurized system.
- Preserved the identities of the architect and donors through the theater inscription.
- Showed that the theater was repaired and used as a palace during the Seljuk period.
Images



Latest news / selected archive
A statue of Hermes from the Roman Imperial period was uncovered during the 2025 excavations.
Record
- Culture
- Pamphylian and Roman
- Coordinates
- 36.9383°, 31.1734°
Sources
Nearby excavations
- Side 27 km
- Perge 29 km
- Phaselis 72 km
- Olympus in Lycia 87 km
- Sagalassos 101 km
- Limyra 111 km
- —
- —
- 12.000
From beneath the soil: latest discoveries
- Rare Messapic inscriptions found in a 2,300-year-old tomb in Italy
Two Messapic inscriptions were found on the cover slabs of a rock-cut tomb in Manduria. According to researchers, the texts may indicate that the woman associated with the tomb held a religious role; a connection to priesthood and the cult of Demeter has not yet been confirmed.
Heritage Daily ↗ - Main sewer line and inscriptions describing Roman rituals found at Aquinum
Investigations at Aquinum uncovered the main sewer line, a group of 120 coins and religious inscriptions. The finds help researchers understand water management in the Roman city and practices such as consecrating places struck by lightning.
Heritage Daily ↗ - Analysis of Inca mummies detects traces of coca, alcohol and harmine
Hair and nail analyses of eight Inca mummies from Peru and Argentina identified evidence of coca consumption, alcohol in four individuals and traces of harmine in the Ampato mummy. According to researchers, the use of different substances shows that sacrificial ceremonies varied according to local traditions.
Arkeofili ↗ - Object from a 5,300-year-old grave in Russia identified as a kidney stone
Analyses of an object measuring approximately 2.1 centimeters, found in a Bronze Age grave in the Stavropol Upland, revealed a mineral composition consistent with a kidney stone. According to researchers, the find indicates that the man buried in the grave had a chronic infection, providing direct evidence of diseases of the period.
Arkeofili ↗ - 3,000-year-old bronze objects found during battlefield survey in Hungary
A survey of the Mezőkeresztes battlefield uncovered a large bronze vessel and two decorated spiral arm ornaments. The objects, dated to the 13th–11th centuries BC, were recovered with their original positions preserved, allowing researchers to study Bronze Age practices of burying valuable objects.
Heritage Daily ↗ - 2,600-year-old mudbrick structure identified beneath the city of Buto in Egypt
The walls of a large mudbrick structure identified through satellite and geophysical surveys were confirmed by a trial excavation. According to the researchers, a layer of sand placed beneath the foundations may have helped protect the structure in the waterlogged ground of the Nile Delta.
Heritage Daily ↗ · Excavation notebook - Celtic woman's grave containing jewelry and animal remains found in Germany
A woman's skeleton, heavy bronze anklets, a sapropelite arm ring, and the remains of a lamb or kid were found in the grave in Bavaria. According to the researchers, placing the animal in the grave as a food offering represents an unusual example of Celtic funerary practices in the region.
Arkeofili ↗ - Cupboard containing personal belongings, childhood amulets and coins found in Pompeii
Grooming items, 38 bronze coins and a necklace made up of at least 24 amulets were found in a cupboard in a house in Pompeii that had remained closed since the eruption in AD 79. The preservation of these objects together provides detailed information about everyday life and personal mementos in Roman times.
Arkeofili ↗ · Excavation notebook
All excavation sites (395)
Türkiye
- Acemhöyük
- Aizanoi
- Alabanda
- Alacahöyük
- Amos
- Ani
- Aphrodisias
- Arslantepe Mound
- Aspendos
- Assos
- Ayanis Fortress
- Aşıklı Höyük
- Barcın Höyük
- Blaundus
- Boncuklu Höyük
- Can Hasan I
- Carchemish
- Claros Sanctuary
- Clazomenae
- Domuztepe
- Ephesus
- Euromus
- Gordion
- Göbekli Tepe
- Hadrianopolis in Paphlagonia
- Hattusha
- Hierapolis
- Iasos
- Kaman-Kalehöyük
- Karahantepe
- Karatepe-Aslantaş
- Kaunos
- Kibyra
- Knidos
- Kültepe-Kanesh
- Laodicea on the Lycus
- Letoon Sanctuary
- Limyra
- Magnesia on the Maeander
- Medieval City of Beçin
- Metropolis in Ionia
- Miletus
- Myra
- Nemrut Dağ
- Nysa on the Maeander
- Olympus in Lycia
- Oymaağaç Höyük — Nerik
- Patara
- Pergamon
- Perge
- Phaselis
- Priene
- Sagalassos
- Sanctuary of Apollo at Didyma
- Sanctuary of Labraunda
- Sapinuwa
- Sardis
- Sayburç
- Side
- Stratonikeia
- Tell Atchana – Alalakh
- Teos
- Tripolis on the Meander
- Troy
- Uluburun Shipwreck
- Xanthos
- Yenikapı – Theodosian Harbour Excavations
- Yeşilova Höyük
- Yumuktepe
- Zerzevan Castle
- Zeugma
- Zincirli Höyük — Sam'al
- Çatalhöyük
- Çavuştepe Fortress
- Çayönü
- Çukuriçi Höyük