Beneath Istanbul, Archaeologists Explore An Ancient City's Byzantine Basements
Archaeologist Ferudun Ozgumus stands in what is believed to be a Byzantine-era substructure in Istanbul. The winding streets of old Istanbul are an overlapping cacophony of seagulls, ship horns and vendors of colorful fresh fruit. Shady fig trees cluster near crumbling Byzantine walls and sweeping Ottoman palaces, remnants of the empires that conquered and lost this strategic point on the Bosporus Strait, which formed the seat of the Eastern Roman Empire. Underneath it all is an ancient world that's almost invisible, unless you know where to look. "Can you imagine my excitement when I saw thi...