Experts have been sustaining restoration and conservation works at the ruins and mosaics of the ancient city of Myrleia, which is located in the Mudanya district of northwestern Bursa province. The archaeological studies aim to shed light on the history of the region.
Myrleia is believed to be founded by Colophons from Ionia back in the seventh century B.C. on the broad and flat hill known as Hisarlık today, 1 kilometer (less than a mile) southeast of Mudanya. The historical area features the remains of the city walls on the hill and settlement areas in the north along with ruins of a port. The location of the ancient city, unearthed during excavations for construction in 2012, has been declared a protected archaeological area.
Murat Cura from the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage Department at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, who has been conducting the conservation and repair works of a larger mosaic floor covering at Myrleia, said that the mosaic was discovered through an excavation in 2015 and put under protection temporarily.
Expressing that the mosaic nevertheless started to wear out over time, Cura stated that they began conservation work on the mosaic with their students.
Stating that the conversation of the large part of the mosaic is complete, he continued: "Just a small part of the mosaic still waits to be repaired now. Since it is raining and the layers under the mosaic are weak, it can get easily damaged. We will fill the weak areas of the mosaic and support the mosaic with backup material underneath. After that, we will keep the artifact under protection until a roof is built over it."
Emphasizing that the mosaic is unique, Cura said, "As far as I know, there are five or six mosaics that are very similar to the one in Myrleia. One of them, for example, is in Antandrus, located on Devren hill between the modern village of Avcılar and the town of Altınoluk in the Edremit district of Balıkesir. However, Myrleia's mosaic floor is very valuable as it is in a completely preserved condition."
Explaining that they started their works in the ancient city nearly 10 or 15 days ago, he added that they are planning to sustain their studies at the site for a month or more.
Professor Mustafa Şahin, the head of Uludağ University Archeology Department, also stated that there is a mythological story about the region, which is very important as it suggests that the city may have existed before the eighth century.
Noting that they knew that the name Myrleia remained until the reign of Philip V, the king of Macedonia, Şahin said, "Philip took the city, which had been under the reign of the Kingdom of Pergamon, and handed it over to Prusias I, the king of Bithynia who was also his relative. Prusias changed the name of the city, making it a modern, Hellenistic settlement again. Based on the name of his wife, he called it 'Apamea,' and this name remained until the Roman Imperial period."
According to Şahin, the Romans made Apamea a colonia in the time of Julius Caesar, which turned it into one of the biggest cities of the period. "Therefore, the villas which were unearthed during the excavations in Myrleia carried out under the direction of Bursa Archeology Museum Directorate in 2015 and the mosaics inside them are very important data revealing these glorious days."
Emphasizing that Mudanya is located at a very strategic point in terms of tourism, Şahin said, "If the city of Myrliea or Apamea in Mudanya is totally unearthed, there will be a need for accommodation of tourists. Therefore a very important tourism destination will appear in Bursa. In this way, Bursa will gain a very important ancient city in terms of cultural tourism."
