8,000-year old structure unearthed on former Greek island of Imbros

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on November 21, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Greece, Near East, Turkey

A structure believed to be around 8,000-years-old was unearthed on the former Greek island of Imbros off the western coast of Turkey, according to the head of the excavation team speaking to Turkish media sources.

Credit: AA

“During this years’ excavation work, we have found a structure that we believe dates back to around 6,000 BC,” Burcin Erdogu from Trakya University, archaeologist and head of the excavation team said.

Excavations in the Ugurlu-Zeytinlik mound in the northwestern province of Canakkale’s Gokceada (Imbros) district had earlier unearthed a 7,000-year-old structure complex.

Erdogu said the new excavation will shed light on the history of Gokceada island, which dates back to 8,800 years.

“This structure is an important discovery both for the Aegean islands and western Anatolia,” she said. She added that the T-shaped monument is an obelisk–like, four-sided tapering structure, ending in pyramidion.

It is made of two pieces, interconnected by seven-metre-long walls. It is reminiscent of the standing stones in Gobeklitepe, an archaeological site located in Turkey's southeastern Sanliurfa province.

Erdogu said it was the general thought that public structures, such as temples, were disappearing through the near East. “The monumental structures seem like part of an area where people gathered and held some activities and rituals,” she added.

Source: Anadolu Agency [November 21, 2019]

48 early Byzantine oil lamps found in southeast Turkey

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on November 20, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Near East, Turkey

Archaeologists in southeastern Turkey's Diyarbakir have discovered 48 ancient lamps dating back around 1,500 years. The lamps were discovered during excavations at the Zerzevan Castle, located in the city's Cinar district.

Credit: AA

The excavations are being led by assistant professor Aytac Coskun from Dicle University's Department of Archaeology. He said the lamps, which are believed to be dating back to the Late Roman.Early Byzantine period, would provide more information about the castle's history.

Coskun said the place where the lamps were discovered could have been an ancient shop. "Each lamp has a different sign on it, including sun, stars or letters sometimes. They all have a different meaning," Coskun said.

The lamps were unearthed near a 1,700-year-old Roman-era underground Mithras temple, which was discovered in 2017.

The castle is situated on a 55,200-square-meter area surrounded with walls stretching 12 to 15 metres high and 1,200 metres long, along with a 21-metre high watchtower and guard castle.

Credit: AA

Excavations near the Demirolcek neighbourhood, located 13 kilometres from the Cinar district, have been ongoing since 2014 with the help of Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Diyarbakir Museum, the Diyarbakir governorship, the Cinar district governorship and Dicle University.

The vast space also includes a church, administrative buildings, ruins of ancient homes, grain and weapon storage facilities, an underground temple, underground shelters, rock tombs and water channels.

Previously, an underground church and shelter with a capacity to hold 400 people, houses and hidden passages were unearthed.

The Zerzevan Castle is situated along the ancient route of military premises and located on a 124-metre-high rocky hill in a strategic location between Amida and Dara. The settlement overlooks the entire valley and once controlled a large area on a key, ancient trade path. Once a strategic Roman border garrison town, the castle also witnessed the clashes between Romans and Sassanians.

Credit: AA

The first settlement was named "Samachi" and while it is not certain when it was built, the excavations are close to revealing its age. The castle walls were repaired at the time of Byzantine Emperor Anastasios (AD 491-518) and Justinian (AD 527-565) while some parts were completely rebuilt.

Source: Daily Sabah [November 20, 2019]

Roman-era sarcophagus with skeleton found in Turkey

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on November 20, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Near East, Turkey

A 2,000-year-old sarcophagus including skeleton of a woman was found during road construction work in central Turkey, according to a provincial official on Tuesday.

Credit: AA

Municipality workers in Corum province found the sarcophagus located around 70 centimeters (27 inches) deep from the surface, and informed the Corum Museum about the finding.

Visiting the scene together with police teams, museum experts examined the area and transferred the sarcophagus to the museum after a rescue excavation.

Credit: AA

The sarcophagus also included pieces of glass and a perfume bottle made of terracotta, along with the skeleton which was sent to the Anthropology Department of Hitit University in Corum for examination.

Provincial Head of Culture and Tourism Office Sumeyra Sengul told reporters that the 2.72-meter  long sarcophagus belongs to the Roman era.

Credit: AA

"When we opened the cover of the sarcophagus we saw a female skeleton. It is estimated that it belonged to an old woman," Sengul said, adding that there were also pieces of glass and a scent bottle.

"These remind us of burial gifts of the Roman era," she said and noted that such sarcophagus is rare in the region as it is made of local materials and possibly was made by "local stone masters".

Farmer discovers giant Byzantine-era pithos in central Turkey

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on November 15, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Near East, Turkey

A farmer plowing his field in Turkey's central Kırıkkale province discovered a giant ancient pithos jar from the Byzantine era.

Credit: AA

The farmer, who lives in the Koçubaba village in Balışeyh district discovered the jar after his tractor got locked on the jar. He immediately called the gendarmerie to inform officials about the find.

Credit: IHA

The jar, which was allegedly used to store food supply, was brought to the Kırıkkale Culture and Tourism Directorate after archaeologists extracted it.

Credit: IHA

"It was used as a cellar in the Byzantine era," Kırıkkale Culture and Tourism Director Aydın Demiröz told Anadolu Agency, adding that it will be exhibited in the directorate headquarters.

Source: Daily Sabah [November 15, 2019]

New structure found in Metropolis excavations

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on November 07, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Near East, Turkey

Excavations in the ancient Greek city of Metropolis in İzmir’s Torbalı district, carried out with the support of the Sabancı Foundation, continue to shed light on the secrets of history.

Credit: AA

Headed by Manisa Celal Bayar University Archaeology Professor Serdar Aybek, the works have been carried out with the participation of experts from Turkish and foreign universities. The team discovered an unknown structure this year.

The newly discovered structure provided access to important information about ancient architecture and engineering. Built on an area of approximately 400 square metres, the building bears the traces of a glorious life in Metropolis during the last years of the Roman Empire.

The building is well preserved and demonstrates that the craftsmen living in the city had advanced knowledge of architecture and engineering.

Geometric decorated mosaics unearthed under the marble slabs of the large courtyard, where the entrance is, reveal that the building was built on another structure damaged by a devastating earthquake.

In the newly discovered building, unlike the two large bath complexes in Metropolis, a small private bath called the “Balneum” was discovered.

Credit: AA

With its small spaces and capacity to serve only one family, the Metropolis Balneum, built sometimes in the fourth to fifth centuries, is presumed to be the property of a wealthy Metropolis resident or a ruler living in Metropolis.

Next to the marble courtyard of the Balneum there is a pool for up to three to four people. From this pool, there is access to the front room with another pool covered with colored marbles. This room provides access to a warm room through a narrow door. This leads to the warmest room of the Balneum, the central bathing section, with two or three bathtubs. This room is thought to be a sweating room comparable to today’s saunas.

The excavation team identified a unique engineering wonder system that showed that the space was heated from the floor and wall about 1,500 years ago.

“The advanced heating system we discovered in the Balneum reveals important clues about the life of the city and its people at that time," Aybek said. "The private bath structure, which we believe belonged to one of the notables of the city, shows that they had a heating system that we can consider very advanced even today and that an engineering study was carried out to ensure that clean and dirty water passes without contact with each other.”

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [November 07, 2019]

11,300-year-old temple unearthed in southeastern Turkey

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on November 02, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Near East, Turkey

An ancient temple with four stelae estimated to be over 11,000 years old has been unearthed in Mardin, southeastern Turkey.

Credit: Anadolu Agency

Ergul Kodas, an archaeologist at Artuklu University and advisor to the excavation area, told Anadolu Agency that the temple, built with small stones and hardened clay floors, belongs to the same period as Gobeklitepe, the famed “oldest temple in the world.”

Credit: Anadolu Agency

Credit: Anadolu Agency

“According to analysis, the temple has four steles. We think it's about 11,300 years old,” said Kodas. “Excavations are underway, but we have clearly revealed the steles. One of the four steles we uncovered was broken, but the other three were still preserved to this day as they were,” he added.

Monumental tomb inscription found in Parion

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on November 01, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Near East, Turkey

A memorial tomb inscription has been unearthed in the ancient city of Parion in the Biga district of northwestern province of Canakkale. Archaeologists believe that the inscription dates back 1,900 years.

Credit: AA

The head of Parion excavations and Ondokuz Mayis University Archaeology Department’s Professor Vedat Keles said that they were very excited by the finding.

Keles stated that they found this epigraphic work not in excavations but around the aqueduct at the entrance of the village, and added, “There are two ‘Greek’ names on the inscription. It is a tomb inscription dedicated to a child by a Roman and to his deceased mother. Probably this is a memorial tomb. The Greek names are ‘Diogenes’ and ‘Tykhe.’ So, this shows us the persistence of the Greek population after Parion became the Roman colony.”

Credit: AA

Parion, also called Parium, was an ancient Greek city founded in 709 BC. It had two major harbours during the Roman era and served as the main customs station for goods from the Aegean.

Archaeologists have been carrying out excavations at the ancient site since 2005. Sarcophagi, graves and ancient artifacts have been found in the area.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [November 01, 2019]

Lost Byzantine castle of Kibatos found under water

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on October 31, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Near East, Turkey, Underwater Archaeology

Within the scope of the Yalova Coasts Ancient Harbour and Underwater Survey, which was carried out in Altinova district of the northwestern Turkish province of Yalova for two years, the Byzantine castle of Kibatos (Civetot) was discovered.

Credit: AA

It was reported that the castle was built for the refuge of Anglo-Saxon soldiers, who escaped from the Battle of Hasting between the Crusader armies and the Seljuk armies in the First Crusade in 1069 but may have remained under the Hersek Lagoon as a result of severe earthquakes. The survey has been carried out with the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and with the contributions of Altinova Municipality, Uludag University and the Turkish Historical Society.

Credit: AA

During the works carried out by a team made up of academic Serkan Gunduz, Isil Akalan Gunduz of Leicester University, Survey Engineer Ilke Ekioglu of Sinop University and a team of students, a sea castle spreading over an area of approximately 4,200 square meters was discovered on the coastline between Altinova and Karamursel district of Kocaeli. The castle was in 3.5 meters deep.

Credit: AA

Altinova Mayor Metin Oral said that the castle was discovered as a result of a two-year work and continued: "Although it was located in a very important place in the history scene, finding this castle, which could not be definitively localized, was one of the reasons for starting our research. It was known from the written documents that the Byzantine Emperor Alexius had built a castle in this area for Anglo-Saxon soldiers, who fled the Battle of Hasting in 1069, which changed the history of England. In order to find the castle, we have been searching on the opposite side of the Hereke Castle near Helenopolis, based on the studies we have done in the region for two years."

Credit: AA

"The structure, identified between Helenopolis (Hersek) and Karamursel, is thought to be the Kibatos-Civetot Castle because its architecture is very similar to the expressions in the written documents. Kibatos-Civetot Castle gained great importance in 1096 during the First Crusades. In 1095, just one year after the Pope’s call for the Crusade, the first campaign began. Alexios, who wanted to remove the Crusaders, who came to Constantinople, from the capital, sent them to Kibatos Castle. The armies came to the castle via Nicomedia from the land, and some went directly to the castle by sea. According to the various sources, their number was between 25,000-600,000 people."

Credit: AA

Oral said that they would start working to bring the castle to light. "The Crusades have had inevitable consequences for both the Christian world and the entire Muslim world. This battle is of great importance for European history. However, its importance for the Anatolian Seljuk history and Turkish people, unfortunately, is not known enough. It was the first great battle defeat of the Crusader history in Anatolia that would attack the Anatolian Seljuk State following the siege of Iznik (Nicaea) in 1097," he said.

The works to unearth Kibatos Castle will take about three years. The findings of the studies will be shared with the public.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [October 31, 2019]

7,000-year-old fortification wall uncovered in southern Turkey

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on October 25, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Near East, Turkey

A fortress wall dating 7,000 years back to the Chalcolithic Age has been unearthed at the Yumuktepe Mound in southern Turkey's Mersin province.

Credit: IHA

The Yumuktepe Mound is highly significant as a continuous settlement for 9,000 years since the Neolithic Age.

This year's excavations, focused on the Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, were carried out by a 30-person team led by Isabella Caneva – a professor of archeology at the University of Salento in Lecce, Italy.

Credit: IHA

Caneva said that the 7-metre fortress wall discovered this season can now be shown to the public.

While every year's excavations have provided historical insights, this year's dig produced especially "striking" Neolithic and Chalcolithic findings, Caneva said.

Credit: IHA

Caneva said the layer in Yumuktepe Mound is special in that it contains very special architecture.

The fortress wall was made with a variety of materials, including a 1.5-metre-thick support wall made of limestone at the bottom, 2 metres of well-cut stones and 3 metres of mudbrick.

Credit: IHA

Previous excavations had discovered the existence of the castle, dating back to 5,000 BC, but the team did not uncover the wall until this season's deeper dig in the area.

"We didn't know that there was such a technology in that period in technical terms. Now we see it and it's a special structure. There was certainly a special product being made there, because a normal village would not require such a thick and solid wall," Caneva said, explaining that the village is the oldest site in the world known to produce molten copper.

Credit: IHA

"This is a very important product. Later on, there was a war for metal. It was an important technology and a valuable substance. Tools, flashy objects and weapons were all made with copper," she said.

The team also discovered that homes in the Neolithic period were built in a certain way, continuously constructed on top of one another, for 2,000 years.


Caneva expressed hopes that the site will be developed into an open-air museum for visitors in the future.

Source: Daily Sabah [October 25, 2019]

3,000-year-old Assyrian cylinder seal found Turkey

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on October 22, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Near East, Turkey

Archaeologists have discovered a 3,000-year-old stamp believed to belong to the Assyrians during excavations carried out at the Zerzevan Castle in southeastern Turkey's Diyarbakir province.

Credit: Aziz Aslan/Anadolu Agency

The excavations at the castle, which was used as a military settlement area during the Roman-era, were initially launched five years ago under the coordination of the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

The stamp was found near the underground sanctuary located within the castle compound, which contains remnants of the city wall — which is 12-15 meters high and 1,200 meters long — including observation and defense towers, a church, an administration building, cereal and ammunition storehouses, an underground sanctuary, rock tombs, water canals and a cistern.

Aytac Coskun, who leads the excavations, told Anadolu Agency that the discovery is very important since it shows that the castle area actually dates back almost 1,200 years earlier than was previously thought.

Credit: Aziz Aslan/Anadolu Agency

Coskun said that the chlorite stamp, which has a clay imprint, is the only example of its kind due to the unique figures engraved on it.

"There is a deity figure on it. There is a tree of life in front of the deity and behind it is a bird. The deity figure on the stamp gives life to the tree of life with the cones and holy water in the bucket. There is a sacred meaning to the fact that the sun's rays and the head of the god extend to the sky. Therefore, this seal is important," Coskun explained.

Coskun said that stamps were personal items, adding that the newly-discovered artifact may have belonged to someone of high importance during Assyrian times, such as a high-level administrator or a general.

Credit: Aziz Aslan/Anadolu Agency

Coskun added that various other bronze artifacts were also unearthed during the excavations, which further shows that the area was inhabited long before the Romans, by the Assyrians.

Source: Daily Sabah [October 22, 2019]

Assos excavations reveal popularity of fishing in ancient times

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on October 17, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Near East, Turkey

Archaeological excavations in Assos, one of the most important port cities of antiquity, located within the boundaries of Behramkale village of Ayvacık district of Çanakkale, have unearthed three 2,300-year-old “fish plates” and a “fishing hook,” which are believed to date back to the same period.

Credit: AA

Located on the summit and slopes of a volcanic hill at the southern end of the region called “Troas” in ancient times, opposite the island of Lesbos in Greece. The excavations that U.S. archaeologists carried out in the ancient city of Assos for the first time in the 1800’s were resumed in 1981 after a long break. Turkish scientists have been carrying out excavations in the region for 38 years.

Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University (ÇOMU) Archaeology Department academic and the head of Assos excavations, Professor Nurettin Arslan said that the excavations have been ongoing with the support of the Culture Ministry and the Turkish Historical Society.

Arslan stated that they had found potteries called “fish dish” made of terracotta, adding, “These examples are important data on fish consumption in Assos in ancient times. In addition, fishing rods made of bronze are often found in excavations. Some tools used in netting are found, too.”

Credit: AA

Arslan said that Assos was a port city on the shores of the Aegean Sea, therefore, he emphasized the importance of fisheries among the main foods in ancient times. He added that U.S. researchers who made the first study in the ancient city found traces of fishing in the port of Assos.

“These fish plates were widely used in the Hellenistic period. It is not seen much in the following periods, but the hooks used in fishing are the same type of assets belonging to the Byzantine period. It is exactly the same as the fishing line we use today in the modern age. We find these fishing rods in the layer starting from the 5th century B.C. until the Byzantine period.”

Arslan said that cereals, honey, raisins and other foods were in demand in the region in terms of trade, and that salted fish occupied an important place among the goods exported by the cities. He added that the fish were salted and sent to other cities in amphorae.

Credit: AA

“But, of course, there is no evidence that Assos exported these fish. Plates date back to 2,300 years ago; we can say that the fishing rod also belongs to the same period. We say this according to its location because fishing has a long history. Therefore, we can give the date according to the layer, but we can say that the fish plates are a group of vessels that are not seen much after the Hellenistic Age.”

Arslan said that these plates were flat in shape, had a reservoir in the center and used to eat fish. In the ancient period, the fish were grilled, he said. “Probably, they developed such a method to prevent the fish from softening by accumulating water in this reservoir,” he added.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [October 17, 2019]

Second monumental gate unearthed at Hacılar Great Mound

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on October 15, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Near East, Turkey

An excavation team working at Hacılar Great Mound are jovial after finding a second monumental gate in the province of Burdur, unveiling a discovery that a local kingdom ruled the region in southwestern Turkey for some time.

Credit: Anadolu Agency

The Great Mound is located in the village of Hacılar, where Hacılar ceramics were discovered by the British archaeologist James Mellaart in the late 1950s. Excavations have been carried out in the field for eight years, and the city’s second monumental gate was discovered this year.

The second monumental gate is located 200 meters from the first one in the settlement, which stood resistant to foreign threats with a chain of rooms called Casemate and was surrounded by an advanced defense system.

The presence of the second monumental gate, as well as the other findings obtained during the excavations, strengthened the idea of the existence of a local kingdom of the Hacılar Great Mound.

Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency, the head of the excavations, Istanbul University Archaeology Department’s Professor Gülsün Umurtak, said that they reached the 350-meter defense system at the center of the mound.

Credit: Anadolu Agency

She said that the casemate system was applied uniquely and very strongly in Hacılar, and that they found nearly 40 casemates in their eight-year excavation works.

Emphasizing that they repaired every structure with natural materials, Umurtak said that this year’s work provides them important information about the defense system.

This season was very productive, she said, adding that they reached a big gate in the new trenches opened in the south of the mound.

“The second gate has monumental dimensions. It is over 20 meters in length and five meters in width. The huge-size casemates are found on both sides of the gate. This way, we reached a very impressive corner of the city. We think that in the coming years we will find the third or fourth gates in different parts of the city. All these things and the stone wall system, which reaches 2.5 meters in width here, is extraordinary for the early 3,000s. It is not easy to build two monumental city gates 200 meters away from each other. We already thought that we were excavating a local kingdom but after we found the second monumental gate, we can now say for sure that there must be a local kingdom. There are many mounds around it. They, too, were administratively and economically dependent on this great system.”

Credit: Anadolu Agency

Agriculture and animal husbandry developed in the mound, Umurtak said, adding that the remains of the plant found in the excavations indicated the rich diversity of the natural environment.

“We are in a region with rich water resources. There is a rich repertoire of pottery. When we look at the sum of all these, we can say more clearly that there is a local kingdom center here.”

Professor Refik Duru, who started the first mound excavations in the region, said that Burdur and its immediate surroundings are a place that gives extraordinary prehistoric settlements and finds, adding that they are happy to work in such a place.

Source: Anadolu Agency [October 15, 2019]

Byzantine mosaic revealed near ancient city of Parion in Turkey’s Canakkale

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on October 10, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Near East, Turkey

An early Byzantine mosaic bearing geometrical patterns was unearthed during an illegal excavation in northwestern Turkey's Canakkale province Wednesday.

Credit: AA

Acting on a tip-off about the illegal excavation, provincial gendarmerie forces launched an operation in Gureci village in Lapseki district and detained four suspects. They were later arrested by court order.

The mosaic was found in a property belonging to Fahrettin Enan, near the ancient city of Parion (or Parium) — an ancient Greek city that was located on the border of the historical lands of Troad and Mysia.

Credit: AA

Credit: AA

Officials from the provincial directorate of museums are now conducting to uncover a colossal mosaic which has been dated to the 6th century.

The ancient city of Parion was founded about 3,000 years ago as a colony by settlers from Eretria, a Greek polis from the island of Euboea and the island of Paros in the Aegean Sea. The city functioned as an important harbour for the surrounding settlements at the time.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [October 10, 2019]

5700-year-old child burial unearthed in eastern Turkey

By: Thomas Schmitt Attorney on October 09, 2019 / comment : 0 Archaeology, Near East, Turkey

A recently unearthed skeleton of a child in eastern Turkey is thought to date back to 5,700 years ago, according to the head of excavation.

Credit: AA

The skeleton was discovered in a Late Chalcolithic era house during ongoing excavations in the Archaeological Site of Arslantepe, located in the eastern Malatya province.

“We found beads on the arms and neck of the child, which we have not seen before. These beads indicate that the child belonged to a noble family,” excavation head Marcelle Frangipane told Anadolu Agency.

A professor at the Sapienza University of Rome, Frangipane said scientific studies at Arslantepe continue and the child is thought to have lived in 3600-3700 BC.

Credit: AA

Following expert examination by the Anthropology Department of Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey, the skeleton will give clues about the life of the era it belonged.

“The excavation team said that the child was 6 or 7 years old, but they should work on it further. The child may have died due to a trauma,” she added.

Frangipane also said that they are waiting for the results of the examination to discover the gender, genetic signature, age and cause of death of the child as well as the diet of era.

Credit: AA

The four-hectare and 30-meter high archaeological mound, lying five kilometers (three miles) away from the city center, Arslantepe was accepted into the UNESCO Tentative List of World Heritage on April 15, 2014.

According to the UNESCO, Arslantepe excavations have been conducted since 1961 on behalf of the Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry and the Italian Archaeological Expedition of the Sapienza University of Rome.

Arslantepe - where findings from the Late Chalcolithic era and the Iron Age were found - was home to many civilizations, such as Hittites, Romans and Byzantines.

Credit: AA

During the past years' excavations, lion statues and an overturned king sculpture were unearthed, as well as the adobe palace, which has a rainwater drainage infrastructure and more than 2,000 sealings, revealing the structure of the first city-state in Anatolia.

Source: Hurriyet Daily News [October 09, 2019]