PANAZTEPE is situated in the vicinity of the Gediz (Hermos) river, to the north of the Gulf of Izmir. The site is located 13km's west of Menemen. The excavations have been continuing at the site since 1985 under the direction of Prof. Dr. Armagan Erkanal (Hacettepe University). Panaztepe was continuously inhabited from the 3rd Millennium B.C. to 5th century A.D. The earliest habitation levels have not yet been reached.

Archaic and Later Periods

Remains dating to Archaic, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods (Below, a Byzantine coin) have been attested throughout the settlement. Part of a monumental Archaic structure (Above) has been unearthed on the acropolis connected with the fortification system of the settlement of the same period. Various small finds dating to these periods have been unearthed in relation to the structures (On the Left, an archaic terracotta head, .

Late and Middle Bronze Ages

Investigations carried out by IRERP suggest that Panaztepe was probably a major island settlement during the Second Millennium B.C. The settlement surrounds the large mound of Panaztepe extending over an area of c. 2 kms in diameter. Two different burial grounds have also been discovered dating to the 15^th - 13^th centuries B.C. Part of a monumental structure, dating to the beginning of the Middle Bronze Age and thought to be of an administrative character, has been unearthed on top of the acropolis at Panaztepe. Rows of store rooms were only partly investigated due to the Archaic habitation situated on top of it.
 

Excavations at the harbour town yielded a stratigraphic sequence that covers the time period between the Early Bronze Age and Late Bronze Age. Large structures of Middle Bronze Age and Late Bronze Age have been investigated in this area during the previous excavation seasons. A megaron type structure (Left) which is excavated in 1997, seems to have been continuously inhabited from the end of the Early Bronze Age, into the Middle Bronze Age.

Local and imported Mycenaean wares have been encountered in the LBA stratigraphic levels along with the local LBA wares. The site has a multi phased MBA sequence with nearly 50 % of the pottery being the so called Gray Minyan ware (Above, right), while the rest can be classified as local buff ware (Above, left). Panaztepe reflects strong central Anatolian links during this period.

Tholos (Above, left), pithos, cist, box and composite graves have been excavated in the two different burial locations reflecting the "international nature" of the region. Finds include local and imported painted Mycenaean wares along with Gray minyan and local ceramics. The small finds include an important metal group (Above, centre) including a sword fragment, vessels, spearheads, arrowheads etc. as well as imported scarabs from Egypt and beads (Above, right).