The villagers were using a 2,600-year-old inscription as a chair! The detail of the "oracle center" fascinated scientists.

The 2,600-year-old marble inscription found in the village square in Biga district of Çanakkale in 2011 has been found to provide clues about the establishment of settlements in the region during the colonization process.

PROVIDING IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ANATOLIAN ARCHAEOLOGY

The excavation, which started in 2005 after the surface surveys in Parion Ancient City in Kemer village, located on the coast of the Marmara Sea, continues under the presidency of Prof. Dr. Vedat Keleş, the Head of the Department of Archaeology at Ondokuz Mayıs University Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. After being included in the excavation inventory 13 years ago when archaeologists found the inscription that villagers used as a chair in the village square of Kocagür near Parion, research was conducted on this artifact. It was determined that the inscription contained information about the establishment of settlements in the region as well as information suggesting that Parion, like in the work of the historian, geographer, and philosopher Strabo, could have been a center of prophecy. Prophecy centers, which are encountered in many ancient cities in Anatolia, are known as places where the elite visited to "receive information about the future."

Prof. Dr. Vedat Keleş, the Head of the Excavation Team, stated that they continue the excavation with the permission and support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the facilities provided by the official sponsor İÇDAŞ AŞ. Keleş stated that during the 20-year excavation process in Parion, thousands of artifacts were added to the country's cultural inventory, and they present at least two publications to the scientific world every year. Keleş said, "The restorers and archaeologists who grew up in Parion continue to work as excavation directors, excavation deputy directors, restorers, and conservators in various excavations in our country. At this point, the Parion Ancient City project, which has made significant contributions to the region and our country's archaeology, is like an academy." Keleş stated that this year's fieldwork started in May, and they continue the excavation in the southern necropolis of the city after the theater, agora, and Roman bath. He also mentioned that they plan to organize an event in Parion on August 23 with the support of the sponsor company.

Keleş recalled that during the investigation of the surrounding area of Parion by the excavation team, a broken marble block was found in the village square of Kocagür in 2011 and stated that a 2,600-year-old artifact with a 3-line inscription was identified. Prof. Dr. Vedat Keleş mentioned that according to the ancient sources, it is stated that there was a prophecy center dedicated to Apollo and Artemis in Adresteia, which is a region very close to Parion, and after a while, when this place lost its importance, the largest altar of the Ancient Age in Anatolia was built in Parion by architect Hermakreon using the architectural pieces gathered.

Keleş also stated that this inscription mentions that Paros, Miletus, or Erythrai played an active role in the establishment of Parion and said, "In this inscription, we see that the name of Parion is mentioned as 'Pariake.' Additionally, we learn from the inscription that an unnamed person mentioned a sacrifice made to Parion (Pariake) Artemis. Therefore, this inscription shows us that there could indeed have been an Apollo and Artemis prophecy center in Adresteia, as expressed in Strabo's work. More importantly, the language of this inscription is not the Greek alphabet that we know; it is written in a different language, most likely a unique language belonging to the Northern Aegean. A language that has not been encountered outside this region until now. Considering the date of the inscription, it is an undeniable indication that Anatolian peoples may have participated in the establishment process of Parion Ancient City and that a synthesis culture may have emerged in the region afterwards. This inscription strongly presents to us that in the establishment of the surrounding cities, the local people in this region may have played a more dominant role, especially Parion."