Recent Research in Nicomedia: New Reliefs and the Location of the Hippodrome within the Urban Context

The initial archaeological work (2001– 2018) in the densely populated modern Çukurbağ neighbourhood of İzmit (ancient Nicomedia) in Türkiye uncovered a Tetrarchic imperial complex’s Aula, adorned with numerous sculptures and painted marble reliefs — known as the Nicomedia frieze — featuring imperial and agonistic depictions. The 2022 excavations, following the expropriation and demolition of a modern house at the site, have exposed more aspects of this imperial Aula, its architecture, decoration, and its subsequent reuse. Among the 2022 finds are new relief pieces of the Nicomedia frieze depicting imperial and agonistic scenes. Traditional excavation techniques combined with advanced remote-sensing technologies such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Electric Resistivity Tomography (ERT) proved particularly effective in the urban setting of the recent research. This article introduces the newly discovered fragments of the Nicomedia frieze, including a large relief panel that features the first known depiction of the hippodrome of Nicomedia. By drawing comparisons with other known hippodrome-palace complexes of the Tetrarchic imperial centres across the Roman Empire, this study also proposes a possible location for the early fourth-century hippodrome of Nicomedia; adjacent to the imperial palace and inside the eastern section of the ancient city walls.