Friday, October 18, 2024 In a remarkable discovery during the 2024 excavation season, a 2,000-year-old inscription has been unearthed in the ancient city of Anemurium, located in the Anamur district of Mersin, Türkiye. The inscription, found in the city’s Harbor Bath, honors a wrestler named “Kaikilianos,” who won a prestigious wrestling competition held every five years during the second century A.D.
Anemurium, a key cultural tourism site along Türkiye ’s Mediterranean coast, covers an area of 600 acres and has yielded numerous significant finds over the years. Professor Mehmet Tekocak from Selçuk University, who has led the excavation since 2018 under the Turkey Ministry of Culture and Tourism , noted that this latest discovery provides further insight into the vibrant cultural life of the ancient city, which thrived from the first century B.C.
to the seventh century A.D. Governor Ali Hamza Pehlivan praised the ongoing excavations and emphasized the importance of the discoveries for both Mersin and Türkiye ’s cultural heritage.
“This inscription demonstrates the significance of sports, particularly wrestling, in the city’s history. I t highlights the city’s vibrant social life and will draw greater attention to Anemurium as a site of historical importance.” The city has long been a focus for archaeological research, and the artifacts found in Anemurium, including this newly uncovered inscription, could potentially boost the site’s nomination for .
