2nd-Century Statue Head Discovered at Fethiye Castle

Türkiye’s coastal town of  Fethiye, which is famous for its natural beauties and historical sites, found an 1800-year-old  statue head thought to belong to the god Apollo during excavations in Fethiye castle.

The castle was originally built during the time of the ancient Lycian city of Telmessos. Fethiye Castle was vital in protecting the ancient Lycian city of Telmessos.

The fortress was an essential part of the city’s defensive infrastructure, ensuring the safety and security of its inhabitants.

This ancient city was the largest and most important in the Lycian region, making the castle a significant structure for the area. The Castle of Fethiye has witnessed several transitions in its history.

During the Byzantine period, it underwent significant reconstruction, and later, it was taken over by the Knights of St. John.

Under the direction of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, in cooperation with the Muğla Governorship, the district governorship, Fethiye Municipality, and Fethiye Museum, the excavation work at the castle, which is situated in the Kesikkapı neighborhood of the Fethiye district, is still ongoing. Three years ago, the excavation got underway.

During the excavation, which was conducted under the scientific responsibility of Professor Kadir Pektaş, a statue head believed to belong to Apollo was discovered in the castle wall.

Pektaş, who is also the scientific director of the Fethiye Castle excavation, informed Anadolu Agency (AA) that the excavation work is part of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s “Legacy to the Future” project.

“During our work in the inner castle, in the area where the flagpole is located, a statue head, which we estimate to date back to the period around the A.D. second century, was found inside the wall.

This is a very important piece for us. In addition, coins from the Turkish-Islamic period, the Ottoman period, and the Menteşe Beylik were also discovered,” he said.

He mentioned that research is ongoing to determine to whom the statue head belongs, saying: “The statue head may belong to Apollo or another historical figure.”

In the interior of the fortress, cannonballs, items used in daily life and ceramic fragments were also unearthed.

8,000-year-old Female Figurine Discovered in Ulucak Höyük in Western Türkiye

One of the most prominent and oldest Neolithic sites found in what is now Turkey has yielded yet another interesting find – a clay statuette of a female figurine has been unearthed in Ulucak Höyük (Ulucak Mound), dated to 8.000 years ago.

The discovery was made in the western Turkish province’s Kemalpasa district, at Ulucak Höyük, one of the oldest sites in Western Anatolia. It is described as “a very rare piece” and may have been a part of significant abundance and fertility rites.

Prof. Dr. Özlem Çevik, Lecturer at the Department of Protohistory and Near Eastern Archaeology, Faculty of Letters, Trakya University, said: ‘The most important element distinguishing this figure from the others is that its mouth is indicated.

Because the figures usually have eyes and noses. However, in this figure, we see that both the mouth is indicated in the form of a hole and a hole has been made in the neck so that it can be jewelry.’

Excavations carried out with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Metropolitan Municipality, Kemalpaşa Municipality, and Kemalpaşa Organized Industry have been continuing since 2009 under the leadership of Trakya University Faculty of Literature, Protohistory and Near Eastern Archeology Department Lecturer Prof. Dr Özlem Çevik.

Stating that Ulucak Mound is one of the first village settlements of Izmir, Prof. Dr. Özlem Çevik said, ‘Ulucak represents one of the earliest farmer village settlements in Western Anatolia.  It is very important for us to understand the neolithisation process. The first settlement in the mound dates back to 8,850 years ago. For 1150 years, the neolithic settlement continued at Ulucak Höyük for 45 five generations without interruption. This year’s excavations continue at the mound.

One of the most important finds so far is a female figure. Generally, we find parts of figures such as arms, legs, and heads in Ulucak. This figurine, which we found lastly this year, was the 6th figure found as a whole so far.’

Prof. Dr. Çevik emphasized that it can be assumed that the depicted female figurine has a privileged position in the community and said, ‘It may represent the person who lives here and tells the stories in the community. It is made of clay. It is 8-10 centimeters in size. It can fit in one hand.

We find them buried in houses, near ovens, in pits under door thresholds, or associated with grinding stones, or associated with flints in a container. They may be ritual objects used to fulfill an intention, action, or request.’

Ulucak Mound, located in the Ulucak district of Kemalpaşa county on the 15th km of Bornova-Ankara road, was the location of one of the oldest settlements of Western Anatolia and it illuminates cultural history both by its architectural structure and its foundlings.

Excavations were started in 1995 and three cultural layers were identified. These are the Late Roman period at the top; the Early Bronze Age layers underneath Early Byzantine settlements and the Late Neolithic settlement at the bottom.

Floor Mosaic of the Early Byzantine Period Unearthed in St Constantine and Helena Monastery Church in Ordu

Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Culture and Tourism reported that an in-situ floor mosaic was found at the St Constantine and Helena Monastery Church in Ordu.

During the excavations in the region known for its ancient Roman tombs in the north of Ordu, archaeologists found the St Constantine and Helena Monastery Church in 2021.

In the Fatsa district of Ordu, it was determined that the monastery church uncovered in the area where 8 Roman-era tombs were found. The church from the Byzantine period was dedicated to Saint Constantine and Saint Helena.

The church and the tombs are an important part of the Ancient Polemonion City.

During the Pontus Kingdom era, Fatsa was originally named Polemonium, after King Polemon I, a Roman client king chosen by Mark Antony. In AD 62, the kingdom was turned into a Roman province under Nero.

The artifact found during the excavations carried out under the scientific responsibility of Associate Professor Seçkin Evcim and the Directorate of Ordu Museum is the first in-situ floor mosaic unearthed in Ordu province.

The in-situ floor mosaic unearthed in the Church of the Monastery of Saints Constantine and Helena can be dated between the 5th and 6th centuries in terms of style and form.

When the in-situ floor mosaic is analyzed in terms of style and form, it is known that geometric and floral motifs were widely used in the Early Byzantine period.

It is seen that the rhombus, which is mostly encountered in the borders, forms a panel here. It is possible to see similar panels formed with rhombus and labrys around it in Anatolia. It is known that the curved acanthus design was also used in the Early Byzantine period.

It is also seen that the curved acanthus, which is generally preferred for borders, is embroidered with fruit motifs and animal figures reflecting nature.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy announced on his social media account that an in-situ floor mosaic was found in the Monastery of Saints Constantine and Helena in Ordu.

Stating that the work found during the excavations carried out under the direction of the Ordu Museum Directorate is the first in-situ floor mosaic unearthed in Ordu province, Ersoy said, “I would like to wholeheartedly thank the Excavations Research Department and our excavation team who worked on the project.” he said.

One of its kind, 1,500-year-old Roman ‘Lorica Squamata’ legion armor restored

The 1,500-year-old Roman ‘Lorica Squamata’ legion armor, the only known example in the world, found in the ancient city of Satala in the village of Sadak in the Kelkit district of Gümüşhane in the Black Sea region of Türkiye, was restored.

Archaeological excavations continue in the ancient city of Satala, the only surviving castle on the eastern border of the Roman Empire and the only Roman Legion castle in Anatolia that can be excavated. and this unique artifact was unearthed during the 2020 excavation season.

The ancient city of Satala, where the 15th Legion of the Roman Empire, also known as the Apollinaris Legion, ruled for 600 years, is a well-known castle visited by Rome’s five emperors.

In a remarkable feat of preservation, the only known example of a “Lorica Squamata” model Roman legionary armor, dating back 1,500 years, has been successfully restored in Türkiye.

The completion of the restoration was announced by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism on its social media account.

The armor was first found and removed from the location in 2021 with assistance from the Ankara Regional Laboratory.

It was then moved to the  Erzurum Restoration and Conservation Regional Laboratory.  Erzurum Atatürk University carried out a thorough examination, which included tomography and X-rays, to record the armor in its soil-encrusted state.

X-ray results revealed that almost the entire armor was intact. Micro CT imaging of a three-plate block taken from the edges helped determine the armor’s full measurements and partial metallurgical properties.

The conservation and restoration procedures were finished after three years of painstaking labor by the Erzurum Regional Directorate of Restoration and Conservation Laboratory. The armor was then resewn, returning it to its original form.

According to the ministry’s statement, the armor dates back to the Late Roman Period. It is a significant example of the Lorica Squamata type, noted for being the first known to the world.

During the Roman era, legionary armor was not made to order; instead, it was repaired and reused as needed. Surviving examples are extremely rare these days because, once damaged beyond repair, they were melted down and used for new purposes.

During the height of the Roman Empire, the Lorica Squamata was a common type of armor worn by military officers and specialists such as musicians or standard bearers. In certain provinces, it may have also been used to outfit entire regiments of Auxilia infantry, archers, and cavalrymen. Later in the Empire’s history, troops frequently used scaled armor as a form of protection.

Scaled Armor was very difficult to cut through and offered a strong, reliable defense for the wearer. In addition, the armor’s overlapping scales provided some absorptive qualities against concussive force. Usually, the scales were between.5 and.8 mm thick to keep the armor’s total weight under control.

Highlighting the achievement, Turkish Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said: “The ‘Lorica Squamata’ model armor, revived by expert hands at the  Erzurum Regional Directorate of Restoration and Conservation Laboratory, has reached us almost perfectly preserved.”

A new chapter in the Hittite world is revealed by painted hieroglyphs discovered in the Hattusa Yerkapı tunnel

The painted hieroglyphs discovered in 2022 in the Yerkapı Tunnel in Hattusa, the capital of the Hittites, one of the first civilizations of Anatolia, were introduced at a conference held at the Culture and Promotion Consultancy of Turkey’s Embassy in Rome.

Professor Andreas Schachner said that the painted hieroglyphs discovered in the Yerkapı tunnel in Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Empire, opened a new page in the Hittite world.

Turkish, German, and Italian experts who took part in the excavations gave information to those concerned about the features of the red hieroglyphs found in the 80-meter-long Yerkapı Tunnel in Hattusa in August 2022 and their work on them.

The conference was attended by Prof. Dr. Andreas Schachner from the German Archaeological Institute, Head of the Hattusa Excavation, and many participants.

In his speech, Schachner said that the discovery of the hieroglyphs in the Yerkapı Tunnel was thanks to Associate Professor Bülent Genç, Lecturer at Mardin Artuklu University Archaeology Department.

Prof. Dr. Schachner told AA correspondent after the conference that they are trying to introduce the discovery of Anatolian hieroglyphs found during excavations in Boğazköy in 2020-2023.

Stating that this is a joint work product of Türkiye, Germany and Italy, Schachner said, “The fact that the hieroglyphs are painted opens a new page in the Hittite world.

Because we had not seen these painted hieroglyphs until now. There was something in a small area, but the discovery of 250 such hieroglyphs opened a completely different world for us.”

Schachner stated that with this discovery, they also saw that there were different aspects in the use of writing in the Hittites and said: “Until now, we have been working mostly from Hittite cuneiform texts, but we see that there is also a writing system in public areas.

It is also a unique Anatolian writing system. We call it Anatolian Hieroglyphics. Thus, we see that these two systems run in parallel. This is a great innovation that allows us to understand the Hittite world.”

Stating that his work in Hattusa continues, Schachner said, “We have almost understood what is written in the inscriptions.

Now we will investigate what it means for the city in a little more detail, we will try to learn this. Of course, there is also the work of publishing it in a systematic way. But in other aspects, excavations in Hattusa continue every year. There is always the possibility of new discoveries.”

Assoc. Prof. Metin Alparslan from Istanbul University pointed out that there are not many examples of applying Anatolian hieroglyphs on stone with paint and said, “Until now, we had an example around Sivas in a very small area. Now this example shows us that we need to pay more attention to the stones.

Most probably there were such signs on the stones of the walls that are now exposed. But they have not survived until today. We will pay special attention to this in the next excavations and carry out our work accordingly.”

3,300-Year-Old Hittite Cuneiform Tablet Found In Büklükale Deciphered!

A 3,300-year-old Hittite cuneiform tablet found in Büklükale, Turkey, has finally been deciphered and sheds new light on the ancient Hittite civilization.

The tablet is inscribed with 70 lines of text. The form of the cuneiform characters suggests that it originates from the Hittite kingdom, dating back to the 14th century B.C.

The ancient city of Büklükale, located about 100 kilometers from the capital, Ankara, was a large and important Hittite city.

The Hittites, an ancient civilization that once held significant power in the region of Anatolia, have long captivated the interest of archaeologists and historians. However, uncovering factual information about this extinct culture has proven challenging.

Led by Matsumura Kimiyoshi of the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology, which is a part of the Middle Eastern Culture Center in Japan, a dedicated archaeology team has devoted 15 years to uncovering the secrets buried within the ruins of the ancient city Büklükale.

The Hittites, known for using clay tablets, recorded state treaties, decrees, prayers, myths, and summoning rituals. Recognized as the earliest Indo-Germanic language, the Hittite language remained a mystery until researchers successfully deciphered it approximately a century ago.

Upon successfully translating the 3,300-year-old Hittite cuneiform tablet Kimiyoshi and his team discovered last year, researchers learned that Büklükale was a royal palace. This suggests it may have been equivalent in status to the royal residence in the Hittite capital, Hattusa.

The ancient clay tablet also contains information about enemies of the Hittite Empire.

Mark Weeden, an Associate Professor of Ancient Middle Eastern Languages at University College London, has translated the cuneiform text on the tablet.

The initial six lines are in Hittite language and indicate that “four cities, including the capital, Hattusa, are in disaster.” The subsequent 64 lines consist of a prayer in the Hurrian language seeking victory.

Previously, tablets inscribed with the Hurrian language were exclusively discovered in the remnants of significant ancient cities closely associated with royal families, like Hattusa. The recent discovery of such a tablet suggests that Büklükale was one of these influential cities.

Hurrian, once the language of the Mitanni kingdom that later fell under Hittite control, remains a bit of a mystery. Despite its historical significance, it is not well understood. Scholars have spent several months trying to decipher the ancient inscription.

Historical records suggest that this tablet was created during a political marriage between the king of Hittite and a princess from one of these eastern kingdoms.

It is widely believed that following this union, the Hittites adopted the religion of their new allies and incorporated Hurrian into their religious ceremonies.

According to Yamamoto Hajime, an expert on the Hittite kingdom at Yamaguchi University, the Hittite Empire was in conflict with a western neighboring nation at the time. Concurrently, Egyptian diplomatic records indicate that the pharaoh arranged a political alliance through marriage with a woman from this rival country.

The tablet reveals the name of the enemy nation’s king, suggesting that the city might have been under siege due to its geographical position at the farthest western point of Hittite territory.

Yamamoto also says that the Hittite kingdom subsequently emerged as a significant regional force. Therefore, he anticipates that future discoveries from the site may show how this achievement was accomplished.

A 3,300-year-old tablet found at Büklükale from Hittite Empire describes catastrophic invasion of four cities

Archaeologists have unearthed a 3,300-year-old clay tablet depicting a catastrophic foreign invasion of the Hittite Empire in Büklükale, about 100 km from Turkey’s capital Ankara.

A translation of the tablet’s cuneiform text indicates that the invasion occurred during a Hittite civil war, presumably in an attempt to support one of the fighting factions.

Previously, only broken clay tablets had been found in the excavations at Büklükale, but this one is in almost perfect condition.

Based on the typology and distribution of the collected pottery shards, Büklükale is thought to be a single-period city belonging to the Hittite Empire Period and having a diameter of 500 m.

The palm-size tablet was found in May 2023 by Kimiyoshi Matsumura, an archaeologist at the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology, amid the Hittite ruins at Büklükale.

The Hittites used the Hurrian language for religious ceremonies, Matsumura told Live Science, and it appears that the tablet is a record of a sacred ritual performed by the Hittite king.

“The find of the Hurrian tablet means that the religious ritual at Büklükale was performed by the Hittite king,” Matsumura told Live Science in an mail. “It indicates that, at the least, the Hittite king came to Büklükale … and performed the ritual.”

According to a translation by Mark Weeden, an associate professor of ancient Middle Eastern languages at University College London, the first six lines of cuneiform text on the tablet say, in the Hittite language, that “four cities, including the capital, Hattusa, are in disaster, ” while the remaining 64 lines are a prayer in the Hurrian language asking for victory.

The Hurrian language, which was spoken from the last centuries of the third millennium BCE until the Hittite empire’s final years (c. 1400–c. 1190 BCE), is now extinct and is not related to either the Indo-European or Semitic languages. Hurrian was originally the language of the region’s Mitanni kingdom, which later became a Hittite vassal state.

The language is still poorly understood, and experts have spent several months trying to learn the inscription’s meaning, Matsumura said.

It turns out, the Hurrian writing is a prayer addressed to Teššob (also spelled Teshub), the Hurrian name of the storm god who was the head of both the Hittite and Hurrian pantheons.

 “It praises the god and his divine ancestors, and it repeatedly mentions communication problems between the gods and humans. The prayer then lists several individuals who seem to have been enemy kings and concludes with a plea for divine advice,” Matsumura said.

The Hittite Empire collapsed in the early 12th century for a variety of reasons, including civil war, climate change, and invaders such as the Sea Peoples, Kaskis, Phrygians, and Mycenaean Greeks pushing the borders of Hatti.

But it seems that the invasion indicated by the tablet has nothing to do with the end of the Hittite Empire. Matsumura said the tablet dates to the reign of the Hittite king Tudhaliya II, between about 1380 to 1370 B.C. — roughly 200 years before the Late Bronze Age collapse.

The tablet “seems to come from a period of civil war which we know about from other [Hittite] texts,” he said. “During this time, the Hittite heartland was invaded from many different directions at once … and many cities were temporarily destroyed.”

Although the Hittite Civil War is known as a period of civil war that destabilized the Hittite Empire in the last decades of its existence, it is understood that this problem has been ongoing since the past.

Cover Photo: The ancient tablet is inscribed with cuneiform text in both the Hittite and Hurrian languages. The Hittite inscription describes the outbreak of war, and the Hurrian inscription is a prayer for victory. Image credit: Kimiyoshi Matsumura, Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology.