It is believed that Egai, also known as Aygai or Nemrutkale, was founded in the seventh century B.C. in the ancient region of Aeolida, which includes the land between the modern district of Ayvacik in Çanakkale and downtown Izmir. It was a member of the Aeolian Dodecapolis, a confederation of 12 cities.
The city reached its golden age during the Hellenistic Attalid dynasty, which ruled the country from the third to the second year B.C. Aegai was an important center of trade and politics. The city was also home to an elaborate system of water canals that helped protect its inhabitants from flooding and conserve rainwater.
Due to a massive earthquake in 17 BC that caused irreversible damage to both the Aegean coast and Aegean, the city was rebuilt in the following decades. Aegean was abandoned in the third century AD and remained unoccupied for about a millennium.
Aegai provides important information about the culture, history and society of the ancient Macedonians, a frontier Greek tribe that preserved centuries-old traditions and brought Greek culture to the borders of the ancient world. The most important, already excavated archaeological remains of the site are: before the 2nd century B.C. Three royal tombs have already been excavated. Twelve monumental tombs of temple form are known. Among them is the tomb of Eurydice, the mother of Philip II, and the unexcavated tombs of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great, and his grandson Alexander IV, which were discovered in 1977-1978 and caused a worldwide sensation. The quality of the tombs themselves and their inventory places Aegai among the most important archaeological sites in Europe.
Excavations have recently begun in the ancient city of Aegai on the building of the agora, which is the symbol of the ancient city. The 2700 year old agora building is located in the western province of Manisa. The agora building consists of 14 rooms, reaches a height of 11 meters and its length is 80 meters.
Yusuf Sezgin, head of the Egai excavation team and lecturer at Manisa University, Jalal Bayar, associate professor of archaeology, notes that the agora building is one of the most important structures in Egai. It was built without any connections and is an architectural and engineering marvel. Had the Byzantines not destroyed the building, it would have remained intact except for the roof.
“One of the most important structures known in Aigai is the agora building. It is a famous structure that has been seen for thousands of years by everyone who comes here. It is 2200 years old. It’s a stone building that has been preserved, albeit partially, in its best form to this day. It is one of the most iconic structures of the city” – Yusuf Sezgin
“After completing the documentation of the building, we will first do a preservation project. Because the stones in the high part of the building have moved out of their places. We will continue a comprehensive study. Our team is supported by the deputy director of the German Archaeological Institute in Turkey and his team. He works as an architect on such excavations. This year we will finish the project, and next year we will start the restoration work,” Yusuf Sezgin
Egay is a miracle of engineering
“In fact, the building would have remained untouched if it had not been touched by human hands. It was destroyed in antiquity and continues to be torn apart even in our time. We found the pillars in one of the stores. The columns belonged to this building and all the lead in it had been removed. In antiquity, the columns were fastened to each other with lead. The Byzantines destroyed the entire building to get at the lead inside its structures. Had the Byzantines not demolished the building it would have remained intact to this day. The most important feature of this architectural and engineering marvel is that it was built without any cementitious mortars and only lead was used to strengthen the columns and the main supporting structures” – Yusuf Sezgin