Excavations at Amos Ancient City Reveal Mosaics and Residential Structures

Archaeological work continues at full speed in Amos Ancient City, located in Turkey’s Muğla province, overlooking the coast of Marmaris. The 2025 excavation season is being carried out under the “Heritage for the Future” program of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, coordinated by the Marmaris Chamber of Commerce, with support from Marmaris Municipality as well as Martı Hotel and Marina.

The excavation team, led by Assoc. Prof. Mehmet Gürbüzer, has uncovered plastered walls and mosaic floors believed to date back more than 2,300 years. Particularly significant are the private spaces within residential buildings, which shed light on daily life in antiquity. According to researchers, the discoveries highlight that Amos was not only a city known for its theater, but also a settlement shaped by trade, production, housing, and social activities.

The Historical Significance of Amos

Amos was one of the three major settlements under Rhodian control during the Hellenistic period. Built on a hill overlooking the Aegean, near today’s Turunç neighborhood of Marmaris, the city is best known for its theater with a capacity of around 1,300 people. The remains of its robust fortification walls and a temple thought to be dedicated to Apollo further reveal the cultural and political vitality of the settlement.

Among Amos’s most remarkable finds are inscriptions that shed light on its governance system. One of these inscriptions is regarded as among the earliest known city laws in Anatolia, suggesting that the community of Amos was organized and regulated by its own civic codes.

Looking Ahead

The 2025 season aims to further uncover residential areas and spaces linked to the city’s social fabric. Archaeologists expect that the newly revealed mosaics and domestic structures will provide deeper insights into the daily routines, economy, and urban life of Amos in antiquity.