August of 2019 was a month abundant in archaeological discoveries in the area of Turkey. Possibly the most amazing one was the announcement that the ancient city of Troy may have been founded 600 years earlier than previously thought. Moreover, an excavation team was surprised when they discovered a temple in the ancient city of Priene, possibly devoted to Zeus. Archeologists digging at the Barcın Mound found that cheese, yogurt, and butter were first produced there 8,600 years ago, in the Neolithic Era. Finally, the remains of the memorial tomb of Azan, the founder of the ancient city of Aizanoi have unearthed.
Turkish Archaeological News collects the most important, interesting and inspiring news from Turkish excavation sites. Here's the review for August 2019. Have we missed anything? Let us know by using Contact tab!
August 1, 2019
Hot air balloon tours thriving in historical Mardin
Visitors can now view the ancient city of Dara in Mardin from the sky in hot air balloon. They can also visit a 1500-year-old mass graveyard among other tourist attractions. Source: Daily Sabah
City devoted to Aphrodite draws increasing interest
Included on the UNESCO World Heritage List and hosting 150,000 visitors last year in Aydın's Karacasu district, the ancient city of Aphrodisias is expecting a 100% increase in the number of tourists it receives. Source: Daily Sabah
1,900-year-old rock tomb discovered at ancient Christian pilgrimage site in northwest Turkey
Excavation works have revealed a rock tomb believed to date back to the second century A.D. in an ancient Christian pilgrimage site in northern Turkey's Karabük province in the western Black Sea region. Source: Daily Sabah
August 2, 2019
Assos excavations have been going on since 1800s
Assos, known today as the village of Behramkale in Ayvacık district in the northwestern province of Çanakkale, was one of the most important port cities in the Age of Antiquity. It is one of the few ancient cities in the world where excavations started in the 1800s - and have continued without interruption since 1981. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Skull found at ancient site in southern Turkey shows neurosurgery performed 2,200 years ago
Archaeologists carrying out excavations in the ancient city of Euromus in Turkey's southern Muğla province found a skull with marks indicating that neurosurgery existed 2,200 years ago. Source: Daily Sabah
Seasonal excavation works in the Sirkeli Höyük, one of the largest settlement mounds in the Late Bronze and Iron Ages, have begun in southern Turkey's Adana province, an archeologist leading the works said Friday. Source: Daily Sabah
August 3, 2019
Black Sea province offers millennial-old artifacts
Archaeological excavations carried out in İnönü Cave in Ereğli district of the Black Sea province of Zonguldak, revealed findings from 6,500 years ago. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Nearly 2,000 fossils discovered in central Turkey
Nearly 2,000 animal fossils were discovered in Turkey's central Anatolian province of Kırşehir. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
883-year-old inscriptions found in eastern Turkey
Searching through an ancient fortress in the eastern province of Bitlis, Turkish students have uncovered inscriptions dating back nearly 900 years. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
1,000-year-old Quran recovered from smugglers
Turkish security forces recovered a 1,000-year-old Quran manuscript from suspected antiquities traffickers in the southern province of Muğla, security sources said late on Aug. 2. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
August 4, 2019
5,000-year-old human skeletons unearthed in central Turkey
Human skeletons dating back some 5,000 years were unearthed during excavation works in central Turkey's Eskişehir province. Source: Daily Sabah
August 6, 2019
Kadıköy’s history resurrected in Haydarpaşa
Archaeological excavations have revealed important clues to life in ancient times in Istanbul’s Kadıköy neighborhood, then known as Khalkedon or the “Land of the Blind.” Source: Hürriyet Daily News
August 7, 2019
Fossils found during construction of housing complex in Central Anatolia
Fossils discovered in the Central Anatolian province of Nevşehir’s Gülşehir district, which were revealed during excavations initiated for a housing area and date back millions of years, are being studied. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
World's 2nd-oldest ax found in Turkey's Antalya
Archaeologists in Turkey have discovered the world's second oldest ax, believed to be 350,000 years old, in Karain Cave in southern Antalya province. Source: Daily Sabah
August 8, 2019
Humans ate grilled dog meat 4,500 years ago, excavations at NW Turkey reveal
Turkish archaeologists have discovered that ancient humans who lived in northwestern Turkey during the drought period in the Early Bronze Age consumed dog meat cooked in various ways, excavations at the Küllüoba settlement mound revealed. Source: Daily Sabah
August 9, 2019
Ancient caravansary opens doors to tourism
Restoration of the largest caravansary built during the Anatolian Seljuks era is completed, and the historical attraction now awaits local and international tourists. Located 22-kilometers (13-miles) away from central Konya province, Zazadin caravansary stands as one of the most significant constructions of the era. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Ancient eagle sculptures found in Anatolian Hellenistic temple
Archaeologists have uncovered two 2,000-year-old marble eagle statues in a Hellenistic temple at the Kınık Mound, located near the Yeşilyurt village in Niğde's Altunhisar district. Source: Daily Sabah
August 10, 2019
Seljuk cemetery reveals medieval life
Towering Seljuk tombstones some 400-700 years old in southeastern Turkey are revealing secrets about medieval city life, say archaeologists. Preserved under UNESCO’s World Heritage tentative list, Seljuk Cemetery, located at Bitlis’s Ahlat district, is being studied by archaeologists, since 2011 to unearth various facets of medieval urban life. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Ancient Turkic stamp, statues discovered in Mongolia
Archaeologists have discovered a rare stamp and statues belonging to the ancient Turkic Ashina tribe in Mongolia, reports said Saturday. Source: Daily Sabah
August 13, 2019
Ancient Roman house in southeast Turkey to welcome visitors next year
House of Muses, a Roman-era house named after the muse mosaics found in the area located in the ancient city of Zeugma in southeastern Turkey's Gaziantep province will welcome first visitors at the end of next year after the excavations are completed. Source: Daily Sabah
August 15, 2019
8.5-million-year-old ostrich egg discovered in central Turkey
Archaeologists have discovered an 8.5 million-year-old ostrich egg fossil during excavations in central Turkey's Çankırı province, local media reports said Wednesday. Source: Daily Sabah
August 19, 2019
Excavations in ancient city of Metropolis reveal details of daily life
Supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Sabancı Foundation, archaeological excavations are entering a new phase and seek to reveal the secrets of daily life in the ancient city of Metropolis. Source: Daily Sabah
Turkish farmer discovers ancient mosaic of bird in southeastern Turkey’s Adıyaman province
A Turkish farmer discovered Monday a centuries-old colorful mosaic in southeastern Turkey's Adıyaman province. Source: Daily Sabah
Earliest evidence of dairy production verified in northwest Turkey
Archeologists digging at the Barcın Mound found that cheese, yogurt and butter were first produced 8,600 years ago during the Neolithic Era. Barcın Höyük is one of the earliest farming communities in northwestern Turkey, going back to more than 8,000 years ago. Source: Daily Sabah
August 21, 2019
New discoveries from excavations at the ancient city Troy in Turkey's northwestern Çanakkale province suggest the area may have been used as a settlement more than six centuries earlier than previously known, according to archeologists. Source: Daily Sabah
Turkish archaeologists to identify grave of Seljuk sultan
Archaeologists found the suspected grave of Seljuk Sultan of Rum Kayqubad II and his mother Gürcü Hatun during excavation works in the Ezirmik village in Pasin Plain, said Dr. Muhammed Arslan, who leads the excavations, adding that the remains will be identified through DNA tests. Source: Daily Sabah
August 22, 2019
Kibyra ancient city comes to light
Huge monumental structures are brought to life during archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Kibyra in the southern Turkish province of Burdur’s Gölhisar district. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Ancient Zeugma to shed light on gastronomic history
Archaeologists have found pieces of grains, seeds and charred food during excavations in the ancient city of Zeugma, in the southeastern province of Gaziantep. The discovered ancient food residuals are expected to shed more light on the gastronomic history of Gaziantep. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
August 23, 2019
Discovery takes Troy’s history back 600 years
Headed by Professor Rüstem Aslan, the excavations have revealed the remains of a new period in the ancient city, which is known to have 10 layers. Stating that they found Troy-0, Aslan said that the discovery was a surprise for the world of archaeology and took the history of Troy back 600 years. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Excavations reveal 2nd century fountain in ancient city in western Turkey
Archeologists have unearthed a monumental fountain estimated to be from the 2nd century A.D. during excavations in the ancient city of Tripolis on the Meander in western Turkey's Denizli province. Source: Daily Sabah
August 24, 2019
Traces of Zeus Temple found in ‘Pompeii of Anatolia’
An excavation team was surprised when they discovered a temple in the ancient city of Priene in the western province of Aydın’s Söke district. Professor İbrahim Hakan Mert stated that they had discovered a new temple in excavations in the northern part of the Temple of Athena, and it made them very excited. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Ancient ram-headed tombstone discovered in northwestern Turkey
A Turkish historian in northwestern Bursa province has discovered a hundreds of years old tombstone bearing a ram-head figure, which is an important symbolic figure in the Turkic world. Source: Daily Sabah
2,500-year-old Persian post office found in Turkey's Amasya
Archaeologists have discovered a 2,500-year-old post office from the Persian civilization during excavations at the Oluz Höyük settlement mound in the village of Toklucak in Turkey's Black Sea province of Amasya. Source: Daily Sabah
August 26, 2019
Göbeklitepe ready for hot air balloon flights
In the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa, the first hot air balloon took off in Göbeklitepe, a UNESCO World Heritage Site which is described as the “zero point in history.” Source: Hürriyet Daily News
New sanctuary discovered at ancient city of Troy in western Turkey
Archaeologists have discovered a new sanctuary preceding the ancient city of Troy in Turkey's western Çanakkale province, which is expected to shed light on the details of ancient civilizations that inhabited the area. Source: Daily Sabah
August 27, 2019
Ancient price list undergoing restoration
Emperor Diocletian’s edict setting price limits for most goods and services 1,718 years ago in the ancient city of Aphrodisias in present-day Karacasulu district in the western province of Aydın will soon be restored and open to visitors. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Urartians used ‘locked stones’ against earthquakes centuries ago, excavations in Turkey reveal
The Urartians used special architectural techniques to protect their cities from earthquakes centuries ago, excavations at Çavuştepe Castle, a fortified site in the Gürpınar district of eastern Turkey's Van province, have revealed. Source: Daily Sabah
August 28, 2019
Ottoman's only palace in Anatolia: İshak Paşa
İshak Paşa Palace, one of the most distinguished examples of the 18th century Ottoman architecture in eastern Turkey, attracts tourists' attention while shedding light on history. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Ancient Roman price edict unveiled in Aphrodisias
Roman Emperor Diocletian's Edict on maximum prices, which was discovered in the ancient city of Aphrodisias in western Anatolia, will soon be opened to visitors following restoration. Source: Daily Sabah
Security forces seize Roman-era sarcophagus with Medusa figure in southern Turkey
Turkish security forces seized a Roman-era bronze sarcophagus with an embossment of the snake-haired Greek mythological monster Medusa on the outside from smugglers in southern Turkey's Adana province, the local governor's office said Wednesday. Source: Daily Sabah
7.5 million-year-old rare Choerolophodon fossil found in central Turkey
Archeologists have unearthed a 7.5 million-year-old mammoth fossil in Turkey's central Kayseri province, a rare discovery as the fossil was well-preserved as a whole. Source: Daily Sabah
August 29, 2019
Construction workers find ancient tombstones in eastern Turkey
Construction workers discovered several ram-headed tombstones believed to be dating back to 600 B.C., including some bearing ancient Turkish motifs in eastern Turkey's Erzurum province, reports said Thursday. Source: Daily Sabah
Large ancient city found under Santa Claus’ city in southern Turkey
There is a large city underneath the ancient city of Myra in southern Turkey's Antalya province, Turkish archaeologists revealed Thursday, as they wait for the excavations to be launched to completely unearth the ancient treasure. Source: Daily Sabah
August 30, 2019
Urartu Museum in its new venue
The new Urartu Museum building in the south of Van Castle was opened in the eastern province of Van, moving from its former premises after receiving damage during earthquakes that rattled the ancient city on Oct. 23 and Nov. 9, 2011. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Excavations reveal centuries-old water pipelines in eastern Turkey’s Erzurum
Excavations in and around the historic castle of eastern Turkey's Erzurum province have revealed several water pipelines that are thought to have been constructed eight centuries ago, officials said Friday. Source: Daily Sabah
Burned buildings reveal sacking of ancient Turkish city 3,500 years ago
More than 3,500 years ago, a rising kingdom called the Hittite Empire was expanding, testing the limits of its strength. It would soon destroy Babylon, but first, its army sacked and burned a city nestled in the mountains of modern-day Turkey called Sam'al—located on a major route of trade between Mesopotamia and the Mediterranean Sea. Source: Phys.org
August 31, 2019
Archeologists unearth ancient memorial tomb in Aizanoi
Archeologists have unearthed remains of the memorial tomb of Azan, founder of the ancient city of Aizanoi in western Turkey. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
