In the mountains of eastern Anatolia, during the Iron Age between the 9th and 6th centuries BC, a kingdom arose that challenged one of the greatest powers of its time: Urartu (also known as the Kingdom of Van). Despite its hostile geography, rebellious vassals, and the constant pressure from the Assyrian Empire, the Urartians managed […]
Anatolia
Posted inAncient Greece
Bias of Priene, the most prominent of the Seven Sages, recommended loving friends as if they were enemies and freed women from slavery
In the 6th century BC, at the peak of the Greek Archaic period, Priene was a small Ionian city overlooking the Aegean Sea. Located on the coast of Caria in Anatolia, north of Miletus, Priene was not known for its military power or its conquests, but for being the home of one of the Seven […]
Posted inBronze Age Archaeology
Schliemann Was Right: In Troy, Not Only the Elites Drank Wine, but Also the Common People
A team of researchers from the universities of Tübingen, Bonn, and Jena has conclusively demonstrated that wine was consumed in the ancient city of Troy, providing chemical evidence that supports a hypothesis proposed in the 19th century by Heinrich Schliemann, the discoverer of the legendary city. This finding, recently published in the April edition of […]
Posted inBronze Age Archaeology
A Bronze Age Water Control Structure Discovered in an Underground Chamber of the Ancient Hittite City of Nerik
A team of archaeologists discovered a complex underground drainage installation at a spring in Oymaağaç Höyük, in the central Black Sea region of Turkey. This site, identified as the ancient Hittite city of Nerik, has revealed a water control infrastructure dating back to the Bronze Age, between 1525 and 1426 BCE, according to dendrochronological and […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
A Discovery Changes the Origin of Metallurgy: The Last Hunter-Gatherers of Anatolia Were Already Working Copper More Than 9,000 Years Ago
For decades, archaeologists have sought to reconstruct the history of metallurgy in human prehistory. A study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports by a team of researchers from Kocaeli University (Turkey) has revealed that the last hunter-gatherers of Anatolia not only knew about copper but may have carried out experimental metallurgical processes more […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
A Rare Mosaic Depicting Two Cupids in Combat and a Monumental Inscription Found in the Bouleuterion of the Ancient City of Teos
Located on the western coast of Türkiye, facing Athens, the city of Teos was in antiquity a major hub of culture, art, and commerce in the Hellenistic and Roman world. Although today only its ruins remain, more than two thousand years ago, this city was an enclave of great importance. Since the 3rd century AD, […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
The Place Where the Rare Obsidian Mirrors of the Neolithic in Anatolia and the Near East Were Manufactured Has Been Found
Luxury and prestige objects have existed in all human societies, and the Neolithic was no exception. Among the most intriguing artifacts of this period are the obsidian mirrors, finely crafted pieces whose function remains a subject of debate. Recent archaeological studies have allowed researchers to reconstruct their manufacturing and distribution process in Southwest Asia, particularly […]
Posted inAntiquity
Three Brothers-in-Law Dominated the Near East in the 6th Century BC, Until Cyrus the Great Changed History
In the 6th century BC, the Near East was dominated by three powerful kingdoms: the Median Empire of Astyages, the Neo-Babylonian Empire of Nebuchadnezzar II, and the Lydian Kingdom of Croesus. These three great kings were related by marriage: Astyages had married Arienis, sister of Croesus, while Nebuchadnezzar II had married Amytis, daughter of Astyages, […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
An Eneolithic population that inhabited the Caucasus Mountains and the Lower Volga between 4500 and 3500 BCE was responsible for the diffusion of the Proto-Indo-European language
The origin of the Indo-European language family has been an enigma that has intrigued linguists, historians, and archaeologists for centuries. Despite multiple studies conducted since the 19th century, numerous mysteries about the expansion of these languages and the peoples who spoke them still persist. However, a new study led by Ron Pinhasi of the University […]
Posted inClassical Archaeology
The Mystery of the Origin of Cinnabar in Ancient Ephesus: Analyses Reveal It Came from the Almadén Mines in Hispania and the Balkans
Ephesus, one of the most iconic cities of antiquity, renowned for its rich commercial and cultural history, has unveiled new secrets thanks to a study that connects Roman mural art with trade routes and pigment production techniques of the era. International researchers have analyzed samples of cinnabar (a bright red mineral used as a pigment) […]
