Sardis and the Lydian Tumuli of Bin Tepe

Sardis and the adjacent Lydian tumuli field of Bin Tepe form an archaeological complex in western Turkey centred on the ancient city of Sardis, once the capital of the kingdom of Lydia. The site preserves monumental remains from Lydian, Persian, Hellenistic and Roman periods alongside a distinctive funerary landscape of burial mounds.

Excavated remains on the citadel include temple foundations - notably the sanctuary identified as the Temple of Artemis in older literature - large public buildings, a Roman gymnasium-bath complex and an important late Roman synagogue with mosaic floors. The Bin Tepe area on the plain contains dozens of tumuli, some of which are identified in scholarship with Lydian royal burials.

Sardis was the principal city of the Lydian kingdom in the first millennium BCE and later continued as a regional centre under Persian, Hellenistic and Roman rule. The site saw substantial building phases in the Lydian period (first millennium BCE) and renewed urban development in the Roman imperial era; archaeological investigation has documented occupation layers across these periods.

The ruins lie beside the modern village of Sart in Manisa Province, western Turkey, on the eastern edge of the Gediz (Hermus) valley. The archaeological area occupies both the citadel hill and the surrounding funerary plain of Bin Tepe.

• Museum collections: Many finds from the excavations at Sardis are displayed in regional museums, including collections held in Manisa and nearby museums with artefacts from the site.

What to See #

• Sardis citadel and sanctuary: Ruined sanctuary complex of Ionic and local-style temples and civic buildings including the remains of the Temple of Artemis, a classical gymnasium-bath complex and other public buildings excavated on the ancient citadel.
• Gymnasium and Bath Complex: A large Roman-period gymnasium and bath complex with extensive foundations and mosaics that illustrate the city's civic architecture.
• Sardis Synagogue: A substantial late Roman synagogue with remains of mosaic pavement and an associated assembly area, recognised as one of the more important ancient synagogues in Asia Minor.
• Bin Tepe tumuli field: An extensive funerary landscape on the plain known as Bin Tepe containing dozens of Lydian-era tumuli including large royal burial mounds attributed in scholarship to Lydian rulers.