Stratonikeia

Stratonikeia (Muğla)

Stratonikeia is situated near Eskihisar village, 6 km west of Yatağan on the Muğla-Yatağan road. The Hellenistic and Roman city was founded on the site of the old Carian city of Khrysaoris. Fortification walls surrounded an area of 1 square kilometre and there were several necropoleis in the surrounding area with tombs dating back to the 7th century BC. Inside the city a number of buildings have been identified, including an agora, bouleuterion, theatre, stadium and gymnasium, as well as sanctuaries of Serapis and the Emperor Augustus. In recent years the site has been extensively damaged by open-cut coal mining.

Excavations at the site began in 1967, under the direction of Yusuf Boysal. Çetin Şahin directed excavations in recent years and Bilal Söğüt of Pamukkale University became director in 2008.