When the Yatağan thermal power plant started to excavate coal, the ramparts of the ancient city and other historical artifacts were damaged due to dynamite explosions and the use of heavy construction equipment. The remains saved from the damage were later exhibited in a museum in Muğla
Due to its rich coal resources, the ancient city of Stratonikeia in the Yatağan district of Muğla has long been seen by many as the unluckiest city in the world. But Tykhe, the goddess of luck, seemed to have turned the town”s wheel of fortune when after a statue of her was found the coalmine was shut down in order to make way for an archeological excavation.
Professor Yusuf Boysal carried out the first archeological research in Stratonikeia at the borders of the Eskihisar village of Yatağan as early as 1967. The residents of the village were trying to protect the ancient city; however with plans to build a Yatağan thermal power plant in 1980 and increasing coal demand, their attempts failed.
As the Yatağan thermal power plant started to excavate coal, the ramparts of the ancient city and other historical artifacts were damaged due to dynamite explosions and the use of heavy construction equipment. The remains saved from the damage were later exhibited in a museum in Muğla. But the archeological work was restarted on the insistence of professor Çetin Şahin and his crew. After he retired, however, there was no one to continue his work and the excavations were stopped again.
But the goddess Tykhe saved the ancient city as it faced the danger of disappearing due to the coalmine. When the priceless terracotta statue, nearly 25 centimeters high, was found, the coal extraction was stopped. A project to preserve the ancient city and the Ottoman artifices discovered in the area was prepared. On August 1, a 50-member crew headed by Pamukkale University archeology department assistant professor Bilal Söğüt will start the new phase of preparations to rescue Stratonikeia. The archeological excavations are going to be conducted using a YTL 110,000 contribution of the Culture and Tourism Ministry.
Assistant professor Söğüt, noting that preparations for excavations have already begun, said: “Formerly energy was government”s priority. The coal excavations destroyed most of the historical artifices. Now we will work systematically to protect mosques, Turkish coffee houses and markets from the Ottoman period. The place will become a new spot of cultural tourism. It is extremely important to end the unluckiness of Stratonikeia. The sun shines on the ancient city right now and we think that the goddess of luck, Tykhe, has her share in that.”
The king of Karia, Seleukos Nikator, named the place for a girl famous for her beauty who lived in the district from 261 to 281 B.C. The area was used as a military base and a place for religious worship for years. The city developed quickly and a theater for 10,000 spectators was built there, as well as sport facilities, gladiator schools, sculpture workshops, temples and altars. Over 3,000 artifices have been found during until the excavations up to this point, including particularly interesting artifices belonging to the late Roman Empire, such as gladiator statues, perfume bottles, war equipment and golden jewelry.
Resource - Doğan News Agency
