Archaeologists have discovered footprints left by three children about 1,900 years ago at the ancient Greek city of Stratonikeia (Credit: Στρατoνικεια) in modern-day Turkey, preserving a rare trace of everyday life during the Roman period. The footprints emerged during ongoing excavations at the ancient settlement in the Yatagan district of Mugla province. Researchers found them while investigating a Roman bath complex near the city’s western street.
Professor Bilal Sogut, director of the Stratonikeia and Lagina excavations, leads the team working at the site. Earlier excavations at Stratonikeia have produced other major finds, including a 2,000-year-old Greco-Roman library.
Excavations uncover remains of a Roman bath
The latest work focused on several sections of the bath complex, including the palaestra, an exercise area. Archaeologists also investigated the apodyterium, which served as a changing room, and the frigidarium, the cold section of a Roman bath.
Cold-water pools formed an important part of Roman bathing complexes. Archaeologists recently uncovered another major example at the ancient city of Tralleis, where a 2,000-year-old Roman swimming pool could accommodate hundreds of people. Sogut said researchers completed this year’s excavation work in the frigidarium and uncovered significant remains from the structure.
Archaeologists have discovered 1,900-year-old footprints left by three children at the ancient Greek city of Stratonikeia in southwestern Turkey.
The rare impressions were found during excavations of a Roman bath, preserving a remarkable trace of everyday life. pic.twitter.com/adkpXvZeAi— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) September 18, 2026
Archaeologists exposed pools and niches around the bath. They also discovered architectural pieces and construction materials that once formed part of its roof. Some remains were found where they had fallen when sections of the building collapsed in antiquity. Their positions could help researchers better understand how the bath was originally built. Among the discoveries were footprints belonging to three children. The impressions have survived for around 1,900 years.
Children’s footprints offer a rare link to ancient residents
The footprints provide an unusual human detail among the monumental remains of Stratonikeia. Ancient cities often survive through temples, public buildings, inscriptions and sculptures. Traces left directly by ordinary residents are far less common.
Stratonikeia has a long history and was home to several civilizations. Previous discoveries include an elaborate 2,000-year-old sarcophagus decorated with garlands, highlighting the range of archaeological remains preserved at the site. The ancient city is also included on UNESCO’s World Heritage Tentative List. Excavations continue to uncover buildings, public spaces and smaller traces of daily life from different periods.
The children’s footprints add a personal dimension to that archaeological record. Alongside Stratonikeia’s monumental buildings, the small impressions preserve a fleeting trace of three children who were at the site nearly two millennia ago.
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