The
city, located in the ancient region of Paphlagonia, was still prominent during
Roman times but was only rediscovered in the 1800s with the unearthing of the
ruins of Zımbıllı Tepe in the Black Sea region of the country.
Soli
Pompeipolis, lying just across the river from Taşköprü, in the Gökırmak (Greek:
Amnias) Valley, in ancient times stretched as far as the Küre and Ilgaz
mountains
The
tomb of the gifted poet and astronomer is being excavated by Professor Remzi
Yağcı, who is the head of the Department of Museology at Turkey’s Dokuz Eylül
University.
According
to the archaeologist, the discovery is of lasting importance to the history of
the area and will be of great interest to travelers who will want to see the
monument. Speaking to interviewers from the Anadolu News Agency, Yağcı said
“For the first time, a memorial tomb has been unearthed linked to the
archaeology of the ancient city of Soli Pompeiopolis.
“Aside
from more familiar structures, such as the colonnaded streets, the ancient
port, the theater, and the bathhouse, something very unique has been found.
This find brings dynamism to the ancient city and can influence tourism in the
region – for both those interested in cultural heritage and general visitors to
the region.”
The
unearthing of the ruins has been ongoing since July 20 of this year, Yağcı
said. Showing photographs of the unique discovery, he indicated the two rows of
hexagonal structures and arches around the memorial tomb that had been
unearthed by his workers.
“This
place looks like a crater,” he explained, “and has a circular area (that could
have been used by) an astronomer. We have also come across a solid and large
monumental structure.”
Yağcı
added that Aratus was widely known during both the Hellenistic and Roman
periods and his works on astronomy, as well as his poetry, are still read and
studied to this day.
Additionally,
he noted that NASA had named a crater on the moon after the brilliant Greek
thinker, leading the archaeologist to hope that the tomb of the great man will
one day be included on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.