May 2022 saw the discovery of a sarcophagus carrying the title of "Emperor’s protector" in the province of Kocaeli in western Turkey. Meanwhile, in the eastern part of the country, the water level of Lake Van fell, revealing a one-kilometer Urartian road connecting Çarpanak Island to the shore. Finally, archaeologists found an 1800-year-old sewer system during excavations in the ancient city of Mastaura, in the Nazilli district of Aydın province.
Turkish Archaeological News collects the most important, interesting and inspiring news from Turkish excavation sites. Here's the review for May. Have we missed anything? Let us know by using Contact tab!
May 1, 2022
A sarcophagus carrying the title of “Emperor’s protector” was discovered in the province of Kocaeli in western Turkey. With the discovery of the sarcophagus, a soldier bearing the title of Emperor’s protector was documented for the first time in Anatolia. Source: Arkeonews
May 4, 2022
İzmit’s royal tombs left to their fate
The tumuli built about 2,000 years ago for important people in the northwestern province of Kocaeli’s İzmit district, where the ancient structures are located, have been struggling to survive for centuries, and the tombs, surrounded by grass, need to be brought to tourism. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
May 5, 2022
Digs shed light on Hittite, Assyrian history of Turkey's Karkamış
Historical artifacts unearthed in excavations carried out by Turkish and Italian teams in the ancient city of Karkamış in southeastern Gaziantep province have revealed different perspectives on the history of the region and insight into Assyrian-Hittite relations. Source: Daily Sabah
May 9, 2022
Temple of Zeus Lepsynos regains former glory with splendid columns
The temple dedicated to the Greek god Zeus in southwestern Turkey’s ancient city of Euromos has been recovering its authentic splendor with the resurrection of its columns with original materials and architectural methods. Source: Daily Sabah
May 12, 2022
An underground Iron Age complex has been found in Turkey that may have been used by a fertility cult during the first millennium B.C. The underground complex was found in the Başbük village of Urfa province in southeastern Turkey. Source: Arkeonews
May 13, 2022
Famous residences of Hermolaos in Tripolis
Excavations have continued since 2012 in the ancient city of Tripolis, located in the Yenicekent district of the western province of Denizli’s Buldan, at the northwest end of the Çürüksu Valley. The ancient city is home to the remains of public and civil architecture of the city, spreading over an area of approximately 3 kilometers on the southern slope of a hill overlooking the valley. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
May 15, 2022
Apollo statuettes of prophecy center on display in Turkey’s Izmir
The Apollo statuettes found during the excavations in Claros, the oldest center of prophecy in the world according to archaeological data, are on display for history enthusiasts for the first time at the Izmir Archaeological Museum. Source: Daily Sabah
May 20, 2022
Istanbul Archaeology Museums offer most-admired collections
With the initiative of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), International Museum Week is marked every year from May 18 to 24. The weeklong celebration aims to raise awareness about the value of museums as a means of important cultural exchange as well as their role in the enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among people. Source: Daily Sabah
Two ancient Turkish baths put up for sale for 166 mln liras
Two 600-year-old ancient baths in Turkey’s northwestern Edirne province, have been put up for sale for a total of 166 million Turkish Liras (about $10.4 million). The Mezit Bey Bath, built in 1422 during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Murad II, has been listed for sale for 150 million liras. While the Tahtakale Bath, constructed during the same period, has been put up for sale for 16 million liras. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Ancient flute on display at museum
The remains unearthed during the two-year excavations in the northwestern province of Bilecik’s Bahçelievler neighborhood have been put on display at a museum for the first time. Among the pieces exhibited is an 8,600-year-old three-hole flute. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
May 21, 2022
Harbetsuvan Tepe, the 10,000-year-old Neolithic Acropolis of Taş Tepeler
Harbetsuvan Hill is similar to the acropolises built on the hills near the ancient Greek cities. It was established in a mountainous region called the Tek Tek Mountains, at an altitude of about 714 m above sea level. Source: Arkeonews
With the withdrawal of Lake Van, the Urartian road to Çarpanak Island emerged
In Lake Van in eastern Turkey, the water level fell due to global warming, and a one-kilometer Urartian road connecting Çarpanak Island to the shore emerged. Source: Arkeonews
1,800 years old Sewer system found in ancient city of Mastaura
Archaeologists found an 1800-year-old sewer system during excavations in the ancient city of Mastaura, in the Nazilli district of Aydın province in western Turkey. Source: Arkeonews
The oldest fortification system in Anatolia is about 8000 years old Kuruçay Höyük
Kuruçay Höyük is located near the village of Kuruçay, fifteen kilometers south of Burdur. The mound itself is situated upon one of the hills sloping downward towards the basin of Lake Burdur. Source: Arkeonews
May 25, 2022
Archaeologists find 4 Umayyad epigraphs in the ancient city Knidos
Archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Knidos connected to Datça District of Muğla province in western Turkey have unearthed four inscriptions made of marble and limestone from the Umayyad period. Source: Arkeonews
Istanbul Bilgi University to host archaeology professor
CAMMA “Thursday Talks,” organized by Istanbul Bilgi University Cultural Management Master Program (CAMMA) and Cultural Policy and Management Research Center (KPY), will host Professor Ian Hodder, the former director of the Çatalhöyük Research Project and a pioneer of post-processualism theory in archaeology, on June 2. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Turkey’s Urartian Altıntepe Castle transforms into open museum
Altıntepe Castle, one of the most important centers of the Urartians and the Eastern Roman Empire, is now set to open to visitors after being converted into an open-air museum with excavations finishing at the site. Source: Arkeonews
May 27, 2022
Oldest Neolithic settlements in Turkey redefine domestication, society
An overabundance of food sources led to sedentary communities and monumental special buildings may have created cohesiveness. Source: The Jerusalem Post
May 30, 2022
Bronze belt of Urartian warrior found in the ancient city Satala
During the excavations in the ancient city of Satala, located in the Kelkit district of Gümüşhane province in Turkey, a bronze belt belonging to warriors from the Urartian period, on which there is the chief god Haldi and the symbols of plants and animals were found. Source: Arkeonews
1,800-year-old geometric patterned mosaic found in Turkey’s Pergamon
A geometric patterned floor mosaic was unearthed during the excavations carried out around the Red Basilica in the ancient city of Pergamon, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The artifact is estimated to be from the second-third centuries A.D. Source: Daily Sabah
May 31, 2022
Operation Heritage busts artifact smuggling ring in Turkey
In one of the biggest operations against artifact smugglers, Turkish security forces raided locations in 38 provinces on Tuesday, with arrest warrants for 143 suspects. Dubbed “Operation Heritage,” raids targeted suspects who sent artifacts extracted in illegal excavations for sale in auction houses abroad. Source: Daily Sabah
