The most significant event of October 2018 was the grand opening of the Troy Museum. Moreover, fascinating finds were discovered in Istanbul's landmark Haydarpaşa Train Station excavations, including a functioning fountain from the Byzantine era. Finally, the copy of the statue of the Greek god of the underworld, Hades and his dog, Cerberus, is now decorating the Plutonium in Hierapolis, while the original can be seen in the local museum.
Turkish Archaeological News collects the most important, interesting and inspiring news from Turkish excavation sites. Here's the review for October 2018. Have we missed anything? Let us know by using Contact tab!
October 1, 2018
Dream museum to be opened in ancient city of Troy
The museum will include more than 2,000 artifacts unearthed in Troy, and mark the 20th anniversary of the ancient city's inclusion on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Source: Daily Sabah
October 2, 2018
400 ancient drawings belonging to Çavdar Turks found in Temple of Zeus
In a remarkable discovery, some 400 figure drawings belonging to Çavdar Turks were found in the Temple of Zeus in the ancient city of Aizanoi, which is often described as the ‘Second Ephesus'. Source: Daily Sabah
Writings on Ani Ruins become art piece
One can come across names carved on rocks, writings on walls and structural damages on cultural heritage buildings in Turkey. This scene is almost undeniable and natural for Turkish people. This is an urge, according to artist Huo Rf, a call to leave your mark and tell the world that you were there at that moment. Huo Rf reflects this urge on his new exhibition taking place at the El Hamra Passage, an historic building in Istanbul’s Taksim area. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
October 4, 2018
Sultan Abdülhamid II's school to be educational museum
A 1909 Ottoman junior high school building built by Sultan Abdülhamid II, who was known for his support for the education sector, will be restored and turned into an educational museum. Source: Daily Sabah
Ottoman documents to shed light on history
Court documents and Ottoman archives, which have been found in excavations of the old city of Van by the Istanbul University Van Area Historical and Archaeological Research Center, will shed light on a history of 400 years in the region. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
16-million-year-old fish fossil found in western Turkey's Muğla
A fossil of a fish believed to date back some 16 million years has been discovered in western Turkey, a Turkish geophysical engineer reported Thursday. Source: Daily Sabah
October 8, 2018
The 7,500-year-old city of Laodicea, the last church of Revelation
The ancient city of Laodicea, also known as Laodicea on the Lycus, is the first institutional and the largest archaeological site in Denizli. Source: Daily Sabah
Ancient family grave discovered in Çanakkale
A Turkish archaeologist in the northwestern province of Çanakkale discovered a 2,300-year-old family grave belonging to 21 individuals, of which some of the remains were ashes. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Cremated family remains found in western Turkey shed light on ancient rituals
A Turkish archeologist in northwestern Çanakkale province discovered a 2,300-year-old family grave containing the cremated ashes and remains of 21 individuals in the ancient city of Assos. Source: Daily Sabah
October 9, 2018
Byzantine church found in Turkey’s northwest
Excavation works in the Sinanköy ancient settlement in the northwestern province of Edirne have unearthed a 1,500-year-old Byzantine church. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Cappadocia’s frescoes restored by Turks, Italians
Millennial old frescoes in the historic rock-carved Tokalı Church in Cappadocia region, which has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1985, are being restored by Turkish and Italian experts. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
October 10, 2018
Troy Museum opens to visitors in Çanakkale
The Troy Museum has opened to visitors in the northwestern province of Çanakkale’s Tevfikiye village. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
October 11, 2018
Ancient city Lyrboton Kome discovered under wild plants in Antalya
The remnants of a 2,200-year-old ancient city were found seven years ago, hidden under weeds and thorns, in the southern province of Antalya. Examinations have restarted in the site following statements by officials about treasure hunters. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
October 13, 2018
Archaeologists to solve mystery in ancient city of Hadrianapolis
Little is known about why thousands of years ago many residents of the ancient city of Hadrianapolis, located in the modern day Eskipazar district of the Black Sea province of Karabük, abandoned the settlement. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
October 14, 2018
Paleolithic art unveiled after dam water ebbs
Turkish fishermen on Oct. 12 discovered cave drawings dating back to the Paleolithic era in the southeastern province of Adıyaman. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
1500-year-old heritages found in Çanakkale
Archaeologists have found 1,500-year-old agricultural and carpentry tools in the ancient city of Alexandria Troas in the northwestern province of Çanakkale. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
October 17, 2018
Double lion sculpture back home
The 2,800-year-old “double lion” sculpture, discovered in the Hittite settlement of Göllüdağ, is located on a hill with an altitude of 2,172 meters close to Çiftlik district’s Kömürcü village. It had been sent to the Kayseri Museum at the time because Niğde did not have a museum. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Kurul Castle to be promoted in Ordu's Hidden History
The archaeological excavation site at Ordu's Kurul Castle will be introduced to visitors with the ‘Kurul, Ordu's Hidden History' photography and inventory exhibition. Source: Daily Sabah
October 18, 2018
Kalehöyük becomes open-air museum
Kalehöyük, where the 5,000-year history of the Central Anatolian province of Kırşehir is being excavated, has almost become an open-air museum due to many findings from various civilizations. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
October 19, 2018
3,200-year-old artifact linked to Assyria found in eastern Turkey
An ivory tablet dating back 3,200 years was found in eastern Turkey's Malatya province, giving clues on a potential link between Assyria and the region, the head of an excavation team said. Source: Daily Sabah
Istanbul police carry out largest-ever stolen artifact seizure
The Istanbul Police Department's Anti-Smuggling Crime Branch teams carried out the biggest seizure of historical artifacts in the history of the republic, with raids across 12 Turkish provinces, recovering 14,000 historical pieces and bags full of foreign currency as well as Turkish lira. Source: Daily Sabah
October 21, 2018
Çatalhöyük excavations in London gallery
Upon the invitation of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), the exhibition of Koç University’s Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations (ANAMED), titled “The Curious Case of Çatalhöyük,” has recently opened in London. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
October 23, 2018
9,000-year-old seal unearthed in southern Turkey's Mersin
Ancient seal dating back to some 9,000 years ago was unearthed at a mound in the southern coastal Turkish city of Mersin. Source: Daily Sabah
October 24, 2018
18th century Russian shipwreck found off Turkey's Aegean coast
The remains of an 18th-century Russian warship were discovered off the coast of Didim, a Turkish town on the Aegean shore, officials told reporters yesterday. Source: Daily Sabah
A 700-year-old bath has been unearthed in an olive garden in the northwestern province of Bursa’s İznik district. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
Theater of ancient Metropolis crowned with reproduction of griffin seat
Centuries later, the ancient theater of Metropolis, the city of the Mother Goddess, has rejoined one of its most precious artifacts: The seat of honor with griffins from the Hellenistic period. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
October 25, 2018
Working Byzantine-era fountain, 1,000-year-old skeleton found in Haydarpaşa restoration
The archaeological excavation carried out as part of the restoration works in Istanbul's landmark Haydarpaşa Train Station continues to recover precious historical artifacts that potentially shed light on the city's history. Source: Daily Sabah
October 26, 2018
Historic church building in Turkey's Giresun welcomes history for 30 years
A building built by Greeks in Giresun has been used as a church, a prison and most recently a museum; the Giresun Museum is home to many ancient artifacts found during excavations around the region. Source: Daily Sabah
Thousands of years ago, women were trading in Anatolia
Historic documents unearthed during excavations in Anatolia’s oldest international trade center, Assyrian Trade colony Kaniş-Karum, have revealed that women made commercial deals and impressed their seal 4,000 years ago. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
October 29, 2018
Malatya's rock-cut tombs with hieroglyphs attract visitors
The 2,800-year-old rock-cut tombs and the hieroglyphs found on the walls of one of these tombs in the Onar neighborhood, one of the important tourism centers of Malatya's Arapgir district, are attracting a great number of visitors. Source: Daily Sabah
Meat and fish market unearthed in ancient city of Aigai
An ancient meat and fish market called “Macellum” by the Romans has been unearthed in the 2,200-year-old ancient city of Aigai in the western province of Manisa’s Yunusemre district. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
October 30, 2018
Hades and his dog return to Gate of Hell
As part of a restoration project, a replica of the marble statue of Hades, who ruled the dead in ancient Greece and is known as the god of the underworld, and his three-headed dog Kerberos has been placed in its original place in the Gate of Hell in Pamukkale’s ancient city of Hierapolis. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
October 31, 2018
Ancient athletes’ tools unearthed in Çanakkale
The crescent-shaped tools, called strigils, found in the ancient city of Assos, were used by ancient athletes to clean themselves of a kind of Hellenistic sunscreen, said Nurettin Arslan, a member of the excavation team. Source: Hürriyet Daily News
