Antandros Ancient City – Edremit, Balıkesir
The ancient city of Antandros lies near Altınoluk in the Edremit district of Balıkesir, on the north shore of the Gulf of Edremit, on the southern slopes of Mount Ida (Kaz Dağı). The site occupies the summit and western slopes of Kaletaşı Hill, about 2–2.5 km east of modern Altınoluk, directly above the old coastal road between Çanakkale and Edremit. Its elevated terraces command both overland routes between Mysia and the Troad and important North Aegean maritime routes, which made Antandros a strategically significant harbor city in antiquity.
(Source: Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism – Antandros Ancient City
Antandros Association – Ancient City of Antandros
Turkish Archaeological News – Antandros)
Ancient authors give conflicting traditions for the foundation of Antandros. The poet Alcaeus attributes the city to the Leleges, Herodotus describes it as a Pelasgian foundation, while Thucydides and later writers call it an Aeolian colony. Archaeological finds – especially pottery and grave goods – indicate continuous occupation from at least the 8th–7th centuries BC, with the city flourishing thanks to the timber and pitch supplied by the forests of Mount Ida, ideal for shipbuilding and naval activities.
(Source: Wikipedia – Antandrus
Antandros Association – History
Ancient City of Antandros – GoTürkiye Cultural Journeys)
The necropolis of Antandros, discovered during modern construction in the late 20th century, has yielded hundreds of graves, including stone sarcophagi, amphora burials, cist graves and cremation burials. Excavations show that the cemetery was used from the 8th century BC to the 1st century AD, after which parts of the area were reused in Late Antiquity as industrial installations such as wine presses and glass workshops. The rich grave offerings – pottery, jewelry, weapons and everyday objects – provide detailed evidence for the city’s social structure and funerary customs over nearly a millennium.
(Source: Antandros Association – Necropolis
Anadolu Agency – Roman Villa and Necropolis Unearthed in Antandros)
On the upper terraces, excavations have revealed a luxurious Roman villa, often referred to as the “Terrace House”, with mosaic floors, frescoed walls, a sophisticated drainage system, shops and storage rooms. These remains testify to the prosperity of Antandros as a Roman-period harbor city. Archaeological research, initiated as a survey in 2000 and continued as systematic excavations from 2001 onwards under the direction of Prof. Gürcan Polat, is still ongoing, uncovering new rooms, cisterns and production areas each season.
(Source: Antandros Association – Excavations
Orion Adatepe – Antandros Ancient City)
Antandros is especially famous for its role in the myth of Aeneas. In Virgil’s Aeneid (Book III) and later tradition, after the fall of Troy the Trojan hero Aeneas and his companions come to the foot of Mount Ida, where they build a fleet of twenty ships at Antandros. In early spring, they set sail from this harbor, first to Thrace and eventually to Italy, where Aeneas’ descendants would found Rome. This narrative places Antandros at a symbolic crossroads, linking Troy and Rome and making the site an important stop on the modern “Aeneas Route” across the Mediterranean.
(Source: Antandros Association – Aeneas and Antandros
Aeneas Route – Antandros
GoTürkiye – Ancient City of Antandros)
Today, Antandros is an active excavation site rather than a fully developed archaeological park. Visitors can walk among the terraced slopes of Mount Ida, view the remains of the Roman villa and necropolis, and look out over the Gulf of Edremit, experiencing a landscape where myth, history and archaeology intertwine along the northern Aegean coast.
(Source: Turkish Archaeological News – Antandros
GoTürkiye – Ancient City of Antandros)