Olympus excavations to start in July

Archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Olympus in the southern province of Antalya's Kumluca district will start in July in the episcopal palace, which was used as a sacred area in the Roman and Byzantine eras. The works will be carried out simultaneously with the restoration works in the acropolis and necropolis areas.

The head of Olympus excavations, Anadolu University academic Professor Yelda Uçkan said that excavations in Olympus continued for 12 months, adding that the works that had been set to start in March this year could not be started due to the coronavirus outbreak.

"If everything goes well, in mid-July, the latest, we will start our work by taking the necessary precautions against coronavirus. We will have to work with a more simplified team and possibly fewer workers, especially since social distancing protection is in question," she said.

Stating that they finished 2019 with renovations, Uçkan said that laboratory works have continued since January 2020.

She said that the expert team in Olympus made environmental arrangements in the field, and that they are planning to continue with unfinished repairs in the first phase of this year's work.

"The valley, where the ancient city of Olympus is located, is surrounded with the slopes of Omurga Mountain in the north direction and the extension of Yolmaca Crest, located in the southeast of the mountain, narrows the mouth of the valley on the sea shore. On this hill with an altitude of 48 meters, there are tower-type houses arranged in two and three floors and a cistern to meet the water need. At the end of last year, we completed the repair of a wall on this acropolis hill, which had a serious danger of demolition. However, the walls on the acropolis hill in...