Lost city of Nicomedia lies underground

The old city of Nicomedia, which was a part of the Roman Empire, today lies under the northwestern province of Kocaeli as the city industrially developed.

Nicomedia (İzmit), one of the first metropolitan cities of the Roman Empire, where it was the capital for many years, has been discussed at a conference.

The conference, titled "Nicomedia: From the Roman Imperial Capital to the Turkish Industrial Capital," organized by the İzmit Municipality, was held at Kocaeli Congress Center.

Speaking about the ancient history of İzmit, Professor Tuna Şare Ağtürk said, "It has an incredible strategic location. Especially its port is very important. It maintains its importance as an important city center throughout the ages. Ancient sources mentions Astakoz as the first settlement. Megara people who came from Greece established a colony in Başiskele, in the southern part of the Gulf, in 712 B.C. The first recording starts here. Afterwards, the Hellenistic king Nicomedes founded Nicomedia and becomes the capital of the Hellenistic kingdom. The Bithynia region also becomes part of the Roman Empire. This time, Nicomedia becomes the capital of the Bithynia province. Its real importance begins after it became a part of the Roman Empire."

She said that there are some surface surveys carried out in Nicomedia and that they draw attention to the archaeological potential in Nicomedia, but unfortunately, no systematic excavations have been carried out there so far.

"Why? Nicomedia lies right below İzmit, where the industrial city was founded. For this reason, systematic excavation has become impossible. Most of the artifacts were unearthed through rescue excavations carried out by the Kocaeli Museum Directorate during modern construction activities,"...