November 2015 in Turkish archaeology

Yenikapi exhibition in Archaeological Museum in Istanbul
Yenikapi exhibition in Archaeological Museum in Istanbul

Turkish Archaeological News collects the most important, interesting and inspiring news from Turkish excavation sites. Here's the review for November 2015. Have we missed anything? Let us know by using Contact tab!

Nov 2, 2015

Mosaic Floor From Roman Syria Unearthed in Turkey

A luxurious mosaic floor has been uncovered in a villa in the ancient Roman city of Doliche, which is located in Turkey, by a team of scholars from the University of Münster. Source: Archaeology. A publication of the Archaeological Institute of America

Documentary on old tunnel to be filmed

Investigations on a Roman-era tunnel, which was discovered in the garden of a house in the Aegean province of İzmir’s Kadifekale district, have been completed. Source: Hürriyet Daily News

Bible to undergo carbon test

A carbon test will be applied to a gilded Bible that was seized last week in Turkey’s northern province of Tokat. Source: Hürriyet Daily News

Nov 3, 2015

Historical tomb in Hasankeyf to be moved for protection

The 650-year-old Zeynel Bey Tomb, located in the historical Hasankeyf district of the southeastern province of Batman, will be removed in order to protect the artifact from the ongoing Ilısu Dam Project which will eventually inundate the site. Source: Hürriyet Daily News

Nov 5, 2015

Ancient columns unearthed in Laodicia

In one of the largest ancient cities in the western province of Denizli, Laodicea, the columns of a portico structure, which collapsed during an earthquake in 494, have been unearthed after more than 15 centuries. Source: Hürriyet Daily News

Nov 7, 2015

Museums in Turkey, ministry fight back against forged artifacts

Forged historical artifacts are now among the most common ways to defraud people, particularly tourists, as counterfeiters go to great lengths to give an old, antiquated look to sculptures which are produced to sell to tourists for inflated sums. Source: Hürriyet Daily News

Nov 9, 2015

Illegal digs unearth mosaics

Roman-era floor mosaics unearthed during illegal excavations in the southern province of Osmaniye were rescued from smugglers in a police operation. Source: Hürriyet Daily News

Nov 10, 2015

Animal fossils in Istanbul shedding light on history

Turkey’s only Osteoarchaeology Application and Research Center continues to shed light on Istanbul’s past thanks to the large number of animal fossils and others that were discovered during the Marmaray diggings Source: Hürriyet Daily News

300-year-old chapel in western Turkey opens for religious ceremonies

Expats living in the southern province of Aydın began to organize religious ceremonies at a 300-year-old chapel near the Apollon Temple. Source: Daily Sabah

Nov 11, 2015

New city walls found in ancient Anavarza

Excavations in the ancient city of Anavarza, located in the southern province of Adana, have unearthed new city walls from the 8th and 9th centuries. Source: Hürriyet Daily News

Geoarchaeologists discover lost island of Peloponnesian War in western Turkey

The third "lost" island of Arginusae mentioned in old scripts, where a major naval battle of the Peloponnesian War took place, was found through the detailed work of geoarchaeologists in a village near the resort town of Dikili located in the western Izmir province. Source: Daily Sabah

Nov 12, 2015

Kültepe Tablets open Kayseri to the world

The earliest written documentation of life in Anatolia, the Kültepe Tablets, have drawn foreign academics and experts to Kayseri following their recent registration by UNESCO. Source: Hürriyet Daily News

Prehistoric Man Was Exploiting Bees in Turkey at Least 8,500 Years Ago

Archaeologists found traces of beeswax in pottery sherds from early Neolithic farmers, showing they did more than just steal honey. Source: Haaretz

Nov 13, 2015

Lost ancient island found in the Aegean

A lost island in İzmir’s Dikili, which was mentioned in ancient sources, was recently found within the scope of a research project carried out by a group of Turkish and foreign experts. Source: Hürriyet Daily News

Nov 17, 2015

Millennium-old neighborhood found in Kemah

Excavation works carried out in the eastern province of Erzincan’s Kemah district have unearthed a millennium-old Turkish neighborhood. Source: Hürriyet Daily News

Nov 18, 2015

Turkish woman claims 103 historical artifacts seized in her home were ‘wedding gifts’

A Turkish woman in eastern Bitlis province has claimed that historical artifacts found in her home belonged to her, as she said they were gifted to her at her wedding. Source: Daily Sabah

Nov 20, 2015

T-shaped stones tell story of Göbeklitepe

A path to Göbeklitepe, a 12,000-year-old site in the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa often referred as the “point zero of history,” has been decorated with large stone plaques that tell about the ongoing excavation work there. Source: Hürriyet Daily News

Nov 22, 2015

3,000-year-old gladiator graves on display in Turkey's Muğla

A total of 12 gladiator graves uncovered in the western ancient city of Stratonikeia have been put on display at the entrance of the city in the Muğla province, located in western Turkey. Source: Hürriyet Daily News

Nov 23, 2015

Studies illuminate human evolutionary past

We now have proof that people did actually go from Anatolia into Europe and brought farming with them. For more than 40 years, people thought it was impossible to answer that question. Source: Popular Archaeology/i>

Nov 24, 2015

Ancient underground city in Cappadocia will 'rewrite history'

An underground city found in Turkey’s touristic Cappadocia will “rewrite the history of the city,” according to the mayor in the Central Anatolian Nevşehir province, adding they had discovered people had permanently lived in the underground city, unlike other cities which were mostly carved into rocks for temporary protection. Source: Hürriyet Daily News

Mini submarine to research basilica

A mini submarine has been launched to carry out archaeological research in an ancient basilica discovered at the beginning of last year under Lake İznik in the northwestern province of Bursa. Source: Hürriyet Daily News

Nov 25, 2015

Ancient Yenikapı 12 wreck to ‘return to life’

Ancient ship wreckage that has been found during archaeological excavations carried out as part of the Marmaray and subway constructions in Istanbul will return to sail the seas next year in replica form. Source: Hürriyet Daily News

İznik's ancient tomb moved to museum

A late-Roman era tomb, which was found last week in an olive grove in the northwestern province of Bursa’s İznik district, has been moved to the garden of a nearby museum and examined by archaeologists. Source: Hürriyet Daily News

Nov 26, 2015

Ancient Mosaics at the Great Palace Museum to be restored

Dating back 1,500 years, the mosaics of the Great Palace of Constantinople, which were discovered in 1932, will finally undergo detailed restoration for better preservation and display. Source: Daily Sabah