Pompeiopolis

Zımbıllı Tepe

Türkiye · Kastamonu

Ancient cityExcavation ongoing
Approximate period64 BCE — 1,200 CERoman and Byzantine See on the map ↓

In brief

The city, located on Zımbıllı Tepe in Taşköprü, was an important center of Roman Paphlagonia. Excavations are improving understanding of public buildings, houses and religious construction in later periods.

What was found?

  • 1Basilica mosaics

    These are geometrically patterned floor pavements dated to the 4th century AD. According to the announcement dated 11 November 2026, the exposed mosaic area has reached approximately 120 square meters.

  • 2Head of Eros

    This sculpted head dates to the second half of the 2nd century AD. It is a tangible example of sculpture from the city's Roman Imperial Period.

  • 3Basilica remains

    This is a building whose three-aisled plan has been uncovered. According to researchers, two distinct construction phases show its architectural and functional transformation over time.

  • 4Roman villa

    This is a residential building where excavations are ongoing. It allows residential architecture to be studied alongside the city's public buildings.

What does it point to?

The mosaics, sculpted head, and villa offer tangible traces of Roman-period life through the city's decorated buildings. According to researchers, the basilica's different phases make it possible to trace the transformation from the Roman Imperial Period to Late Antiquity.

What did it teach us?

  1. Revealed the basilica's plan and construction phases from different periods.
  2. Documented that the geometric mosaics extended across a large floor area.
  3. The head of Eros showed that works of Roman-period sculpture were present in the city.

Latest news / selected archive

In 2026, an extensive mosaic floor dating to the 4th century AD and a head of Eros dating to the second half of the 2nd century AD were uncovered in the basilica.

Record

Culture
Roman and Byzantine
Team / historical
Mevlüt Eliüşük / Karabük Üniversitesi
Coordinates
41.5170°, 34.2130°

Sources

  1. taskopru.gov.tr
  2. engelsiz.ktb.gov.tr
  3. anadoluajansi.gov.tr
  4. en.wikipedia.org
  5. Anadolu Ajansı — Kazı ekibinin 11 Kasım 2026 tarihli açıklamaları

Nearby excavations


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12.000

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