Silently watching the sunrise for a thousand years – the lonely ancient town, Soli......
Today surrounded by modern settlements of concrete but still somehow happy to be able to embrace the blue Mediterranean......
Soli, today’s Mezitli, 11 km. west of the modern city of Mersin is on the western border of Cilicia Pedias. Little is known about the earliest history of Soli but seals and weapons from the Middle Bronze Age which have said to be found in Soli are now in the Berlin Staatlichen Museen.
According to ancient sources, Soli was a colony of Rhodos-Lindos and therefore an important harbour in the eastern Mediterranean trade after the 8th century B.C. Like many other Anatolian towns from the mid-6th century B.C. until the arrival of Alexander the Great in the 4th century B.C. Soli was under Persian rule. The measure of autonomy of the city during the period of Persian rule is reflected in the city’s minting of its own money.
The golden age for Soli was during the Seleucid rule in the Hellenistic period. The poet Philemon was from Soli as were the philosophers Khrysippos and Aratos who produced their works during their time in Soli.
With the decline of Seleucid power in the region, Soli fell on hard times. The Armenian King Tigranes attacked and plundered the town and forced people to relocate elsewhere. Then came a period of piracy, slave trade and looting for Soli.
The Roman general Pompeius came to the region in 67 B.C. to bring an end to the disorder. It was during Pompeius’ reform program that some pirates from the montainous area of Cilicia were settled in Soli to buttress the decreasing population of the town. With the coming of Pompeius, the former name of the town , Soloi in Greek and Soli in Latin, changed and became Pompeiopolis which means the town of Pompeius.
Under Roman rule the city once again achieved vitality.The Roman Emperor Hadrian in a tour of Anatolia in A.D. 130 visited the Roman province of Cilicia and gave monetary support to the work on the harbour.
Soli was an episcopal center during the Byzantine period but an earthquake in A.D. 525 destroyed the town. Later, Soli in the A.D. 7th century encountered Arabian attacks.
In the 19th century many European travelers visited Soli and mentioned an ancient theater, a temple, a bath and a necropolis.
Today, what remains from the ancient town can be grouped under three headings:
a. The Colonnaded Street
In total 33 columns line the sides of the street with 4 on the western and 29 on the eastern colonnade. The columns have Corithian capitals, some with sculptured figured decorations. Inscriptions on some of the column shafts reveal that there were busts of Roman magistrates and high officals on consoles.
b. The Mound
The mound is approximately 22m. high and has a diameter of 300m. During a priliminary survey on the surface fragments of pottery dating from the Early Iron Age to Roman times were discovered.
c. The Ancient Harbour
The outline of the ancient harbour is still visible today. It consists of two breakwaters 200m. apart . The one on the west is better preserved. The huge dimensions of the harbour suggest the size of the town during Roman times.
Today, Soli is surrounded by a modern settlement. The ruins which are preserved are in danger of being lost to all time. That’s why an archaeological excavation of the site is necessary. The aim of the dig is to discover the socio-political significance of the ancient town together with its archaeological background.
Excavations conducted by the Department of Archaeology of Mersin University, the Mersin Museum and sponsored by Mersin University and the Municipality of Mezitli will open a new era in the history of the ancient town of Soli.
