During the excavations of the ancient city of Ephesus, shops and the remains of a neighborhood from the 7th century AD were found under a low fire.
Sabine Ladstatter, director of the Austrian Archaeological Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and head of the excavations at the ancient city of Ephesus, said they achieved a sensational find during the 2022 excavations.Ladstatter said archaeologists have uncovered a local neighborhood with shops dating back to the early Byzantine period. years ago.”Ladstatter emphasized that the finds have been perfectly preserved, saying: “The area seems to have suddenly disappeared in AD 614-615. A thick and dense layer of fire covered all the household items in the rooms. Thus they were all preserved for future generations. Although they date from different chronological times, even this find is comparable to the archaeological site of Pompeii.”Ladstatter emphasized that the newly discovered area is located in Domitian Square, right next to the Upper Agora, the political center of the Roman city, noting that in future studies they will focus on the details of the demolition and the consequences that can be drawn for the history of the city.Noting that the archaeological finds show sudden, dramatic and significant fire destruction, Ladstatter stated that it will not be possible to determine the exact day of the destruction, but that the seeds found will at least clarify the year.Ladstatter stressed that they have seen no signs of the earthquake so far, saying they could not find any human remains in the region.Ladstatter shared the information that a series of arrows and spearheads were found during the excavations as evidence of a military conflict, saying: “The coin finds, which witnessed the destruction in the ancient city of Sardis, about 100 kilometers from Ephesus, are in line with the findings of Ephesus attacks, but this has been the subject of debate in research until now.”
