A citizen in the northern Turkish city of Samsun, while excavating foundations for a residential construction, uncovered traces of a settlement that are considered to belong to the Hellenistic, Roman, and Eastern Roman periods.
İlkadım district, Tepecik neighborhood, a citizen initiated excavation work on their own titled land to build a house. During the foundation excavation, a settlement area dating back to the Hellenistic, Roman, and Eastern Roman periods was uncovered. After informing the authorities, the work was halted, and an examination was conducted by archaeologists.
The excavation revealed an infrastructure and water canal system in the area where the settlement traces were found, along with coins, tombs, roofing materials, tiles, and ceramic fragments dating back to that era. The area was cordoned off for protection by the İlkadım Municipality.
Adnan İpekdal, the Provincial Director of Culture and Tourism, providing information to an IHA reporter stated, “During the excavations in Tepecik Neighborhood, water canals and some structures dating back to the Roman and Hellenistic periods were uncovered. We have stopped the excavation. We are awaiting instructions from the ministry to continue the excavation. Both the individual construction and the excavation are currently halted. This is private property. The citizen had the necessary permits and approval from the municipality to build a house on his land and encountered these remains while excavating for the foundation. Upon the discovery of the remains, we halted the construction. Rescue excavation works will be initiated in the respective area.”
