The Chair of Medieval Archaeology of the University of Salento, held by Paul Arthur, returned this year to excavate at the site of Hierapolis of Phrygia, Turkey, where it has been working since 1992 as part of the Italian Archaeological Mission, now directed by Grazia Semeraro (Unisalento).
At the basis of the excavation activity, which took place in September, there is the aim of investigating and understanding the transformations that took place in this important town of Asia Minor during Byzantine and Turkish times.
The working group for the 2023 campaign, composed of Marco Leo Imperiale and Paolo Marcato, carried out some stratigraphic samples in the northern part of the town, near a church and a large cemetery dating back to the Middle Byzantine period (10th-11th cent.?), previously the subject of several excavations conducted until 2005.
Recent investigation has gained new insights into the topography of this area. In particular, the discovery of a series of walls dating to Early and Middle Byzantine times now clearly highlight how the ecclesiastical complex, located on the remains of the North Agora of the Roman-Imperial period, was inserted into a suburban area of the Byzantine town that was already partly built up.