Ancient Roman assembly with unique design unearthed in Turkey

Archaeologists working in the ancient city of Laodicea in southwestern Turkey have uncovered a 2,000-year-old assembly building with extraordinary architectural features that have never been seen before in the region. The remarkable discovery, made during the 2025 excavation season, reveals a structure with pentagonal outer walls and a hexagonal interior design, marking the first of its kind documented in ancient Anatolia.

Unique Architecture Challenges Archaeological Precedent

The newly unearthed building stands out for its unconventional layout that defied typical Roman architectural patterns. According to excavation director Professor Celal Şimşek from Pamukkale University, the structure represents "the first time we've encountered such an architectural design in Anatolia". Even within the broader Roman world, Şimşek noted that "such experimental layouts are exceedingly rare".arkeonews+1

The building served as the administrative and judicial center of Laodicea, accommodating between 600 and 800 council members across 17 seating tiers arranged in upper and lower sections. Dating to the late first century BCE during Emperor Augustus's reign, the structure remained in continuous use until the seventh century CE.archaeology+2

Personalized Governance Through Inscribed Names

Particularly noteworthy are the inscriptions carved directly into the stone seats, which reveal the names of individual council presidents and members who served in this ancient parliament. This personalization of seating arrangements provides unprecedented insight into the social hierarchy and political organization of Roman provincial governance. The assembly included "elders, youth, and citizens", demonstrating a diverse representational system that governed not only Laodicea but also oversaw "seven to 10 cities" in the surrounding region.news.artnet+2

At the building's center, archaeologists discovered a seated statue believed to represent the serving chief judge or administrator. The statue's head dates to at least two centuries earlier than its second-century CE body, suggesting that new portraits were commissioned and placed on the existing statue as leadership changed over time.news.artnet

Strategic Location Within Urban Complex

The parliamentary building occupied a central position within Laodicea's civic infrastructure, flanked by archive halls containing official administrative documents and adjoined by the city's agora to the south. The site also featured a vast bathing complex and what archaeologists describe as "the largest stadium ever built in Roman Anatolia".news.artnet

Laodicea's advantageous location along trade routes connecting Asia Minor and the eastern Mediterranean Sea, combined with fertile soil, enabled the city to become the administrative and judicial center of the Roman province of Phrygia. The city, which Turkish archaeologists now believe was originally established by Anatolian peoples around 5500 BCE rather than by Greeks or Romans as previously thought, served as one of the region's most important commercial hubs.hurriyetdailynews+1

The discovery adds to Laodicea's growing archaeological significance. Previous excavations have revealed frescoed travertine walls, a 10-foot statue of Emperor Trajan, an ornate colonnaded fountain, and sculptures depicting mythological scenes from Homer's Odyssey. The ancient city, located near modern-day Denizli, remains on UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List and continues to yield important insights into Roman governance and urban planning.archaeology+2