The Archaeological Exploration of Sardis

New Discoveries, Publications, and Events (2026)

October 28, 2026

After technical difficulties we are again able to update this site. The 2025 and 2026 seasons were very successful. Sardis was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Discoveries include monumental walls of the Lydian palace belonging to the time of Homer, and an over life-size statue of the fifth century BC. Andrew Seager et al. published The Synagogue at Sardis, the final report on the largest ancient synagogue in the world. A newsletter is in preparation.

Resources

• Final publication of Sardis Report 9: Andrew Seager et al., The Synagogue at Sardis (2026). Now available from Harvard University Press, and as pdf.
• Sardis and the Lydian Tumuli of Bin Tepe inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
• Discovery of a monumental statue of a Lydian man, reused in the Roman colonnaded avenue near the Synagogue (and perhaps near the sanctuary of Cybele)
• Article on the Roman sanctuary of the Imperial Cult, probably of the emperor Claudius, and the late antique housing that was built in the precinct after the destruction of the sanctuary.
• Article on Lydian silver coins found in the destruction level of the palace of Croesus, together with the bones of their owner; helps date the world's earliest bimetallic gold and silver coinage.