August 2023 saw the final stages of the extensive landscaping restoration of 2,000-year-old Roman baths in Yozgat province. The renovations also continued in a Lycian settlement of Tlos where the ancient theater was prepared to host the performances in 2025. Meanwhile, the excavations at Tepecik Mound in Aydın province, located in the western part of Turkey, revealed a structure believed to have been used as a palace or temple in the 13th century BCE. Finally, in the excavations carried out in the ancient city of Olba, located in the Silifke district of Mersin, a female statue believed to belong to the 2nd century CE and two frieze fragments depicting mythological scenes were unearthed.
Turkish Archaeological News collects the most important, interesting and inspiring news from Turkish excavation sites. Here's the review for August 2023. Have we missed anything? Let us know by using Contact tab!
August 1, 2023
Restoration of Türkiye's 2,000-year-old Roman bath nears completion
The 2,000-year-old Roman bathhouse Basilica Therma in Türkiye's central Yozgat province is nearing the final stages of its extensive landscaping restoration, an official noted recently. Source: Daily Sabah
August 6, 2023
Middle Ages skeletons in Türkiye show jawbone differences by gender
After over two decades of excavations, experts at the Kortik Tepe mound in Diyarbakır province found that the lower jaw bones of male and female skeleton subjects differed in size and strength. Source: Daily Sabah
August 11, 2023
Tlos ancient theater in SW Türkiye to recapture Lycian essence
Ancient theater in Tlos, a Lycian settlement, is being carefully restored by experts for 2025 performances, using original materials to connect the past and the present. Source: Daily Sabah
August 13, 2023
Excavations at Tepecik Mound in the Çine district of Aydın province, located in the western part of Turkey, revealed a structure believed to have been used as a palace or temple in the 13th century BCE, along with storage jars for grain. Source: Arkeonews
3800-years-old Akkadian Cuneiform Tablet found in Turkey’s Hatay
A 3,800-year-old Akkadian cuneiform tablet was found during the archaeological excavations carried out in the Aççana Mound, the old city of Alalakh, in the Reyhanlı district of Hatay city in southern Turkey. Source: Arkeonews
Women with Sart Renovate Largest Synagogue of Ancient World
Village women take part in the renovation works of the largest synagogue in the ancient world, located in the ancient city of Sardis (also Sardes, Sart in Turkish), the city of King Croesus with its legendary wealth. Source: Arkeonews
August 15, 2023
Thousands of years of finds on display at Kazlıçeşme
The Kazlıçeşme Arts Center, which has an impressive mosaic floor, sarcophagus and a tomb, welcomes its visitors in a historical Ottoman-era building, which served as a military hospital during the Ottoman period, in Istanbul’s Zeytinburnu. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Mysterious ruins discovered at the bottom of Lake Van, Türkiye’s largest lake
At the bottom of Lake Van, Türkiye’s largest salty soda lake with 3,712 square kilometers, divers discovered a cemetery and areas bearing the traces of an old village. Source: Arkeonews
August 16, 2023
Sculpture, frieze fragments found in Olba
A second-century A.D. female statue and two frieze fragments with various depictions have come to light during the ongoing excavations in the ancient city of Olba, which is located in the Silifke district of the southern province of Mersin and once served as the center of the Olba Kingdom in the Hellenistic period. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
August 17, 2023
Unique finds unearthed in the ancient city of Olba in southern Türkiye
In the excavations carried out in the ancient city of Olba, located in the Silifke district of Mersin, in the south of Türkiye, a female statue believed to belong to the 2nd century AD and two frieze fragments depicting mythological scenes were unearthed. Source: Arkeonews
August 18, 2023
Excavations in Assos reveal new finds
Archaeological excavations that have been carried out in the ancient city of Assos in the Ayvacık district of the southern province of Çanakkale bring new finds. Works in the Roman-era Nymphaeum (Monumental Fountain) in the east of the Agora, a third century B.C. weight unit, which was made of lead, has been unearthed. Weighing 320 grams, the weight unit was the largest one to date, officials reported. There is a depiction of the Gryphon, a mythological creature used on the city's coins, on the scales. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
The three-headed statue of Goddess Hecate discovered in Turkey’s Mersin
In the ancient city of Kelenderis in Mersin, located in the south of Turkey, the statue of the 3-headed goddess Hecate, which is evaluated to be 2300 years old, and ceramics belonging to the Hellenistic period were unearthed. Source: Arkeonews
August 19, 2023
Ancient grain silo found in Şapinuva
A 3,500-year-old grain silo has come to light during the archaeological excavations carried out in the Central Anatolian province of Çorum's Şapinuva, which was once the capital of the Hittite Empire and one of the most important religious and military centers. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
August 21, 2023
Outrage at plans to develop Turkey’s cultural heritage sites
The construction of tourist facilities on two beaches that were part of the ancient city of Phaselis – a tentative nominee for Unesco world heritage status – has caused outrage at what is claimed to be the latest example of the Turkish culture ministry sacrificing heritage for tourism. Source: The Guardian
August 22, 2023
İnkaya Cave study uncovers 86,000-year-old traces of human life
During the excavations at İnkaya Cave in the Turkish western province of Çanakkale, traces of human life dating back 86,000 years have been found in the layers of the cave, as a multitude of tools made from flint for various purposes have also been discovered. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
August 27, 2023
Museum shows changes in Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia
The Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry has transformed an ancient land registry office building in Istanbul's Sultanahmet Square into a museum that narrates all the changes in Hagia Sophia from its initial construction to the present day. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
8,200-year-old water channel discovered in Izmir
In the western province of İzmir’s Yeşilova Mound, archaeologists have recently discovered one of the earliest water channels in human history, dating back 8,200 years. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
August 29, 2023
2500-Year-Old Technology and an Ancient Kitchen Unearthed at Harput Castle
Harput Castle has long stood as an emblem of Anatolia's rich tapestry of history. A gem nestled in Turkey's landscape, its enigmatic walls and remnants have many tales to tell, and recent excavations are revealing stories, one artifact at a time. From the discovery of a 1,000-year-old palace kitchen to an intricate 2,500-year-old water cistern, archaeologists and historians are piecing together episodes of a bygone era. Source: Ancient Origins
