In addition to artifacts belonging to the indigenous people of Anatolia, Carians and Leleges, artifacts belonging to the Bronze Age, Roman, Byzantine and Hellenistic periods were unearthed in the Stratonikeia Ancient City in Muğla, where ceramics and daily used items belonging to the Turkish period began to come to light. Head of the excavation, archaeologist Prof. Dr. Bilal Söğüt said that among the finds, porcelain plates with crescent and star, which were made in France and Belgium and sold in the Ottoman market, draw attention.
In the excavations started in 1977 in Stratonikeia, which is known as the “City of Gladiators” and is one of the largest marble cities in the world, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine as well as Anatolian principalities, Ottoman and Republican periods. Every year, precious artifacts are brought to light in the ancient city, which is also important for the city.
Söğüt stated that during the excavations carried out in the city, they unearthed every building in stages, from the entrance of the city to the temple of the emperors, from the Roman bath to the Turkish house.
He stated that during the excavations they carried out on the West Street in the city, ceramics from the Turkish period and daily used items began to come to light.
Explaining that ceramics from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries were also unearthed during the excavations, Söğüt said, “These artifacts in Stratonikeia were made in France and Belgium and sold in the Ottoman market at the end of the 19th century. “It is one of the beautiful examples of crescent and star porcelain plates. There are examples with both red and blue backgrounds. The materials found have survived to the present day due to their high quality.” he said.
Söğüt added that the finds show that the inhabitants of the region also established commercial relations with the communities on the Aegean island, apart from the Turkish principalities around them.