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2 clusters · 11 sources · 22 days · First seen · Last updated

Külhöyük archaeological excavations

Overview

Archaeological excavations at the 5,000-year-old Külhöyük site in Ankara’s Gölbaşı district have uncovered significant botanical and paleontological remains from the Hattian and Hittite periods.

Initial findings included 4,000-year-old seeds of the endemic Sevgi Çiçeği (Centaurea) discovered inside a Hittite vessel. This discovery provides the oldest known evidence of the species, which is currently exclusive to the Gölbaşı region. Researchers suggest these findings may offer insights into Hittite medicine and pharmacology, as cuneiform texts indicate the use of various plants for therapeutic purposes.

Subsequent reports from the site also noted the discovery of a 66-million-year-old marine creature fossil, contributing new data to the natural history of the Ankara region. Excavation leader Assoc. Prof. Derya Yılmaz Tekin and archaeobotanist Prof. Dr. Emel Oybak Dönmez from Hacettepe University are involved in the ongoing analysis. A scientific study is being prepared to further investigate the potential medicinal uses of the recovered plant remains.

Entities

Ankara University · Derya Yılmaz Tekin · Külhöyük · Emel Oybak Dönmez · Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Timeline

  1. [CULTURE] 2 sources
    Külhöyük excavations reveal ancient Hittite botanical remains

    Archaeologists at the Külhöyük site in Ankara have discovered ancient Hittite-era seeds, including the oldest known love flower seed, which may offer new insights into ancient medicinal practices.

  2. [CULTURE] 9 sources
    Külhöyük excavations reveal 4,000-year-old endemic plant seeds

    Archaeologists at Külhöyük in Ankara have discovered 4,000-year-old seed remains of the endemic Sevgi Çiçeği plant inside a Hittite vessel, linking the species to the region's ancient history.

Sources

aksam.com.tr · baskentgazete.com.tr · benguturk.com · gazetedamga.com.tr · gzt.com · haberport.com · haberturk.com · onedio.com · sondakika.com · trakyaolay.com · yenisafak.com

This summary has been updated 1 time: see revision history