The ancient city of Sardis in western Turkey has been added to the UNESCO World Heritage list, marking a major recognition for one of archaeology's longest-running field projects.
Excavations at Sardis have continued almost every year since 1958 through the Harvard-Cornell Exploration of Ancient Sardis. Once the capital of the Iron Age kingdom of Lydia, the site sits at a historic crossroads between the Mediterranean world and the Anatolian Plateau, preserving layers of cultural and architectural history.
A site shaped by many eras
Researchers note that Sardis appears in numerous ancient sources, but modern excavation has helped transform written history into physical evidence. In recent years, work has focused on the acropolis and the nearby Temple of Artemis, adding depth to the understanding of the city's long evolution.
According to Cornell scholar Benjamin Anderson, the project has built an unusually rich body of data over generations. Associate director Annetta Alexandridis has also highlighted the complexity of the site, where overlapping layers from Lydian, Persian, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman periods create a rare archaeological record.
The UNESCO designation also covers the tumuli at Bin Tepe, the vast funerary landscape connected to Sardis. The recognition is expected to support preservation, research, and public awareness, helping protect the site's heritage for future study and visitation.
As one of the places linked to the early history of coinage and ancient statecraft, Sardis now stands at a new global milestone, with its future shaped by conservation and discovery.