Parion

Parion

Turkey · Çanakkale

Ancient cityExcavation ongoing
Approximate period800 BCE — 1,400 CEArchaic, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine See on the map ↓

In brief

Parion, in the village of Kemer in Biga district, is an ancient port city on the coast of the Sea of Marmara. Systematic investigations following the rescue excavation in 2004 have extended to various areas, including the necropolis, theater, odeon, baths and agora.

What was found?

  • 1Marble statue interpreted as Artemis

    The work is thought to represent Artemis because of the bow, arrow and animal depictions on the clothed female statue. The researchers state that the statue has an original composition.

  • 2Statue interpreted as Kentauros-Triton

    The statue found during the theatre excavation dates to the 2nd century AD. The figure's identity and its possible position in the building's pediment are based on researchers' interpretations.

  • 3Odeion

    The researchers believe that the building was constructed in the 2nd century AD. The structure and the finds within it make it possible to study the phases of use of the city's public architecture.

  • 4Odeion coin assemblage

    An assemblage of 249 Late Roman coins was found during the odeion excavation. According to the researchers, the coins help date the final phase of the building's initial use.

  • 5Theatre decorations and reliefs

    The theatre's architectural decorations date to the second half of the 2nd century AD. These pieces are tangible examples of building activity during the Roman period.

What does it point to?

Parion's theatre, odeion and statues show an urban life in which public buildings were furnished with figurative decoration. According to the researchers, building activities accelerated by colonial status during the reign of Hadrianus are one of the important contexts for this architectural development.

What did it teach us?

  1. Documented public construction during the Roman period through the theatre, odeion and their decorations.
  2. Showed how coin finds can be used to date a building's phases of use.
  3. Added new sculptural examples of the use of divine and mythological figures in urban architecture.

Images

Stèle - Décret de proxénie et d’évergétisme des Athéniens en l’honneur de Phanocritos de P
CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latest news / selected archive

Work in 2025 reportedly uncovered a group of graves dated to the 11th century in the agora area.

Record

Culture
Ancient Greek, Roman and Byzantine
First modern dig
2004
Team / historical
Vedat Keleş / Ondokuz Mayıs University
Coordinates
40.4162°, 27.0703°

Sources

  1. hitit.edu.tr
  2. canakkale.ktb.gov.tr
  3. omu.edu.tr
  4. en.wikipedia.org
  5. Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi / TÜBA-AR — Parion Odeion'undan Bir Geç Roma Definesi

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