Artifacts connected to the cult of Asclepius have been unearthed at the Roman pool in Bahçeli, southern central Turkey. Built in the 2nd century A.D., the pool was previously believed to have been a reservoir, part of the ancient city of Tyana’s drinking water system. This year’s excavation revealed evidence that it was also a center of healing and religious devotion.
According to [excavation leader Professor Osman Doganay of Aksaray University’s Archaeology Department], one of the most significant discoveries was an altar dedicated to Asklepios, recognized in antiquity as the god of medicine and therapy. The altar, decorated with snake motifs—symbolic of rejuvenation and healing in ancient medical cults—was found alongside additional sculptural fragments featuring snake imagery.
These finds, coupled with the architectural remains uncovered along the pool’s eastern side, indicate the presence of a sanctuary or temple complex dedicated to Asklepios. Doganay described the site as “a place where healing rituals involving sacred water once took place,” marking it as a therapeutic destination in the ancient world.
Tyana far predated Rome. The first mention of it appears in Hittite Empire texts from the 17th century B.C. After the collapse of the empire, Tyana became a capital of the Luwian Neo-Hittite polity at the turn of the 1st millennium B.C. and remained a powerful city-state even when it was absorbed into the Neo-Assyrian Empire in the 8th century B.C. and again by the Persian Achaemenid Empire in the 6th century B.C. Come the Hellenistic era, it was second most important city in the Cappadocian region, and considered the most Hellenized of them all. Cappadocia was taken over by the Roman emperor Tiberius in the 1st century, and Tyana’s Greek culture advanced its stature under the empire. It even became the capital of the Roman province of Cappadocia Secunda when Emperor Valens divided Cappadocia in two in the 4th century.
The pool was built during the reigns of the Emperors Trajan (r. 98-117 A.D.) and Hadrian (r. 117-138 A.D.), but the temple complex was added later. A Greek language inscription found in the 2025 excavation records that the pool was commissioned by or dedicated to Marcus Aurelius or his son Commodus. Both names are mentioned in the inscription and the references made it possible for archaeologists to narrow down the timeline of construction. The sanctuary was built between 177 and 180 A.D.
The excavations at the site in 2025 were the first in 80 years. They will continue next year, focusing on the area surrounding the pool. Archaeologists hope to uncover more artifacts connected to the cult of Asclepius and the religious aspects of the health spa. Such pools were widely frequented in antiquity, and visitors often left votive offerings in their quest for improved health, see the astonishing wonderland of bronze statuary discovered at the San Casciano baths in Tuscany, for example.
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