Shedding New Light on Constantinople

The discovery of the harbor town of Bathonea in 2007, after a drought uncovered its water-logged remains, has yielded a treasure trove of relics illuminating Istanbul's rise as a world power.

1 minute read

January 26, 2012, 9:00 AM PST

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


Jennifer Pinkowski reports on the significance of the find to understanding Istanbul's founding and its rise as Constantinople, a period for which few physical artifacts exist. According to archaeologist Volker Heyd, "The discoveries made are now shedding a completely new light to the wider urbanized area of Constantinopolis. A fantastic story begins to unveil."

According to Pinkowski, "the Bathonea archaeologists also hope to uncover more artifacts dating to the earliest days of civilization. In 2007, Dr. Aydingun and Emre Guldogan of Istanbul University found 9,000-year-old flint tools at the site that could be evidence of the earliest pre-pottery farming settlement in Europe."

Monday, January 23, 2012 in The New York Times

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