Beneath the sun-drenched hills of southwestern Turkey, within the ancient city of Kaunos, a remarkable story is unfolding. Years of attracting visitors with its breathtaking Lycian tombs and a grand 5,000-seat theater, Kaunos has now revealed a secret hidden for centuries – a Roman hospital transformed into a Christian sanctuary.
Archaeologists began meticulously excavating the Late Antiquity complex in 2022, slowly peeling back layers of time. What emerged was a structure initially built in the 3rd century AD as a military hospital, a place where Roman soldiers sought healing and respite.
The discovery wasn’t just about walls and foundations; it was about the tools of a forgotten trade. Each season of digging brought forth more and more medical instruments, hinting at the building’s original purpose. This year, the sheer volume of these artifacts confirmed their suspicions – this was, undeniably, a center for healing.
But the hospital’s story didn’t end with the Roman Empire. As the centuries passed, and Christianity took hold, the building underwent a profound transformation. Excavators were astonished to uncover a beautifully preserved church built directly upon the foundations of the former hospital.
The transition was seamless, a testament to the evolving beliefs of the people. What once housed the sick and wounded now became a place of worship, a sanctuary for the soul. This conversion, dating back to the 6th century AD, revealed a fascinating intersection of faith and healing.
The story continues even further into the past, with evidence of use during the Turkish period. A coin from the Aydinid Principality, a power that ruled between the 13th and 14th centuries, was unearthed, proving the site remained significant for centuries after its Christian repurposing.
This remarkable find joins a growing list of significant archaeological discoveries across Asia Minor. Just recently, a stunning gold brooch and a rare jade stone were revealed in Troy, offering glimpses into the city’s pre-Greek origins.
Similarly, in Olympus, a fifth-century Christian church was unearthed, bearing a powerful inscription: “Only those on the righteous path may enter here.” These discoveries are rewriting our understanding of the region’s rich and complex history, one artifact at a time.
Kaunos, with its newly revealed hospital-turned-sanctuary, stands as a powerful reminder of the enduring human story – a story of healing, faith, and the constant reshaping of the past.
