Meat And Fish Market Uncovered In Ancient City Of Aigai, Turkey

Conny Waters - AncientPages.com - The 2,200-year-old ancient city of Aigai in the western province of Manisa’s Yunusemre district, once again reveals its secrets that shed light on the life of Aigai's people.

Ruins of ancient fish and meat market in Aigai, an ancient city in Turkey. Image credit: Demirören News Agency

Excavation works, carried out by Manisa Celal Bayar University’s archaeology department, have recently ended in the ancient city, and report a discovery of an ancient meat and fish market called “Macellum” by the Romans.

The head of the excavations, Yusuf Sezgin, and his team inform that they unearthed the 1,900-year-old meat and fish market with new, detailed information on this year's findings.

The small square-like structure is on a terrace adjacent to the ground floor of an agora building, which is known as the city center.

“In the first years when we started excavations, this place was covered. Very few parts of it were visible. We had no idea what it was. But after the excavations we realized that this is a Macellum, the meat-fish market, "said Sezgin, as reported by Hurriyet Daily News.

"It was like the butcher of modern-day. But in antiquity, butchers and fishermen were together. The stones on the floor are placed in lime mortar. So the water is accumulated there. There are two channels that allow the freshwater to enter and the dirty water out. There must have been fish in this water. This place is 13 kilometers from the sea. On the other hand, Aigai means goat. So, we believe that goat meat was sold here, too,” he added.

Written by Conny Waters - AncientPages.com Staff Writer