Ancient Greek City of Bargylia to be sold for $8.3 million

The ancient Greek city of Bargylia, 30 kilometres from Bodrum, Turkey, has come up for sale, according to Turkish newspaper Hürriyet.

The site’s theatre, acropolis, fortification walls, and necropolis make up an archaeological site, which dates back to the first century B.C.

The city was founded in honor of Bargylos, who was killed when he was kicked by the winged horse Pegasus.

The ancient city is about 81.5 acres and has been private property since 1927.

According to Hurryiet, a local told the paper, “We hear the sounds of treasure hunters at night, but we cannot do anything out of fear.”

A long-abandoned monastery in Bargylia now serves as an animal shelter and cows graze among the ruins.

As it is a Grade 1 archaeological site, no construction is permitted on property. But a new owner may seek to downgrade that status and build a resort on the ruins. Archaeologists are hoping that Greece’s Culture and Tourism Ministry will step in and buy the site to protect the artifacts buried there.

A proper archaeological dig has never been performed at Bargylia so it is unknown what treasures lie underneath the earth’s surface — but there’s likely something big.

The site was up for sale in 2015 but nobody bought it. This time around, the price has been lowered by about $2 million.