Very special findings have been reached in Andriake.

Very special findings have been reached in the Myra Ancient City and Andriake port excavations carried out in the Demre district of Antalya.

In the excavations carried out in collaboration with Akdeniz University under the “Heritage for the Future” project of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, a large variety and quantity of glass mosaic panels produced using the technique called “Millefiori (Thousand Flowers)” were discovered. The presence of this special interior decoration material, known to be used in important structures, in such a variety at Andriake is considered a significant and surprising discovery by experts. The findings, encountered for the first time in Turkey on this scale, draw attention with their difficult and delicate glass craftsmanship.

Discovery among the findings of the year

The flat plate form of millefiori panels uncovered in Andriake is considered important enough to be counted among the findings of the year for Turkey. These coatings, which were luxury decoration materials of their time, possess a rich variety with flowers of various colors and geometric shapes. Work is ongoing on hundreds of pieces that emerged in location number 42, found in the Customs Region on the port side of the Andriake Agora. It is believed that these findings from the Andriake port settlement date back to the 5th century AD.

Special and rich wall decoration

In addition to the glass panels uncovered in Andriake, there are also numerous findings of small square and round glass rosettes used in the same decoration arrangement, as well as glass frames made for these panels. The discovery in Andriake, the port settlement of the Myra Ancient City, shows that these coatings were used together with similarly sized plates that feature inlay techniques depicting bird figures and unique discoveries in Turkey, such as saint figures and bird and camel figures made with the opus sectile technique, indicating a very special and rich interior decoration. The building located at the junction of Granarium and Agora in Andriake, at the main corner of West Agora Street, which is situated in the most important place of the port, is thought to be an administrative building due to its valuable decorations and planning characteristics.

Minister Ersoy emphasized the importance of the findings

Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy also shared a post on social media regarding the excavations. In his post highlighting the importance of the findings, Minister Ersoy stated, “The flat plate form of millefiori coatings, which we discovered in Andriake and which attract attention with the difficult and delicate glass craftsmanship technique, is significant enough to be counted among the findings of the year for our country. I would like to thank our teams from the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums and Akdeniz University for bringing these important and surprising discoveries to light.”