A huge ancient sewer has been discovered during archaeological excavations in Turkey – one that is big enough for humans to walk through – and, incredibly, is still in working order.
Expert archaeologists discovered the sewage system in the historic city of Stratonikeia in Mugla, and have reportedly estimated that it is around 2,250 years old – dating back to ancient Roman empires.
The system works by moving water from beneath a theatre towards a nearby stream and amazingly it still does the job – something that the archaeologists who discovered it were excited to learn.
“Water is still flowing away by itself even after 2,250 years. That’s why we are incredibly happy,” explained Dr. Bilal Söğüt, who heads up the Stratonikeia Ancient City Excavation Team, an area that has been explored by archaeologists for decades since 1977.
“All these sewage systems are connected to the streets and flowed towards the stream, discharging without causing any discomfort to the city,” the expert reportedly said, “The discovery of the sewage system reveals the historical richness of the region and the lifestyle of ancient settlements”.
Stratonikeia has been dubbed “The City of Gladiators” and every archaeological discovery has provided more insight to experts about the sophisticated engineering that was present in the ancient civilizations who used to call the area home.
Parts of the sewage system were initially found in 2019 and the complex system has been tracked from the North city gate, through a Roman bath and a library.
According to UNESCO’s website – to whom an application to make the ancient city a World Heritage site was launched back in 2015, resulting in its addition to the “tentative list” – it is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Asia Minor.
The site has been continuously lived in since 1500BC – meaning that it has been inhabited throughout the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman period, making it one of the places most rich with history in the world.
The “City of Gladiators” came from discoveries about the ancient civilisation. UNESCO explains: “Stratonikeia has been known as the city of eternal love and gladiators throughout the ages. It was a centre where gladiators were trained, did demonstrations, and spent their life after retirement.
“Sport was clearly important to Stratonikeans, who built what might be the largest gymnasium in antiquity in the 2nd century BC just west of the north gate.
“The 105-metre wide and 267-metre-long complex served both as a sports center and a classroom, where history and philosophy classes were given in the past.”
In 2021, 378 new artifacts were unearthed in Stratonikeia, including architectural findings, sculptures, and inscriptions in Greek, Latin, and Ottoman languages.
