BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

First Turkish Dig Abroad Reveals Byzantine Baptistery in Kosovo

Bible and archaeology news

Turkish excavations in Kosovo recently exposed a baptistery from the 6th century C.E. in the ancient city of Ulpiana. The original Roman city was destroyed in the fifth century C.E., and excavation work has exposed a city reconstructed under the reign of the Byzantine emperor Justinian. The rare discovery of the baptistery sheds light on the early Christian heritage of Europe’s youngest nation, and holds additional significance for the state of Turkish archaeology. The team from Istanbul’s Mimar Sinan University is the first Turkish-run excavation abroad in Europe, and the 2012 season was the first of a five-year excavation at the site. In a Hurriyet Daily News article, excavation director Haluk Çetinkaya explained the significance of the dig. “In the past, Turkey was a country where European archaeologists carried out excavations. Now everyone appreciates our work in this field, and now [Kosovo has] invited us to their country.”

Turkish excavation work in Kosovo began in July 2012 and recently exposed this sixth-century C.E. Byzantine baptistery. DHA photo