Savatra Ancient City Photograph Wins “Photo of the Year” at 2026 Current Archaeology Awards
A remarkable photograph taken at the ancient city of Savatra in central Anatolia has been selected as “Photo of the Year” at the 2026 Current Archaeology Awards, one of the most recognized international honors in the field of archaeology. Captured by Turkish photographer Tahir Ceylan, the award-winning image presents the ruins of Savatra beneath a
Çakmaktepe: An Early Neolithic Settlement Reframing the Origins of Sedentary Life in Southeast Türkiye
In the limestone uplands west of the Harran Plain, a quiet archaeological site is helping scholars rethink one of humanity’s biggest turning points: the shift from mobile foraging to settled life. Çakmaktepe, excavated within the framework of the Taş Tepeler Project, preserves rare architectural and cultural evidence from the earliest phases of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic
Konya’s “Dümdüm Rock”: A Phrygian Tomb That Echoes Across Time
In the rural landscape of central Anatolia, a solitary rock formation near İncesu village in Seydişehir, Konya Province, carries both an archaeological legacy and a local legend. Known as “Dümdüm Rock,” the site preserves a rock-cut tomb attributed to the Phrygian period—an era that shaped much of Anatolia’s early Iron Age cultural identity. What sets
3,000 Ritual Hydriskoi Discovered at Demeter–Kore Temple in Aigai, Western Türkiye
A quiet sanctuary overlooking the rugged slopes of Yuntdağı has revealed an extraordinary testimony to ancient ritual life. Archaeologists working at the Demeter–Kore Temple in Aigai have uncovered approximately 3,000 small terracotta water vessels known as hydriskoi — one of the most substantial votive accumulations ever documented at the site. The excavation, conducted for the
Bronze Age Breakthrough in Anatolia: 3,900-Year-Old Indigo Textile and Single-Needle Knitting Unearthed at Beycesultan
A charred scrap of fabric from western Anatolia is forcing archaeologists to rethink the technological sophistication of the Bronze Age. At Beycesultan Höyük, a major mound settlement in inland western Türkiye, researchers have identified the earliest known indigo-dyed textile in Bronze Age Anatolia—alongside the region’s first evidence of a complex single-needle knitting technique known as
2,200-Year-Old Assembly Building at Aigai Enters Conservation Phase in Western Türkiye
High on the slopes of Yunt Mountain in western Türkiye, a silent stone structure once echoed with debate. Today, the 2,200-year-old bouleuterion—Aigai’s ancient assembly building—is preparing for a new chapter: conservation and restoration. Located in the Yunusemre district of Manisa, the ancient city of Aigai has been under excavation since 2004. According to excavation director
Site of Ottoman Founder Osman I’s Lost House Identified and Registered in Bilecik, Türkiye
The building no longer survives. It was likely destroyed during the upheaval of the early 20th century. Yet in 2025, Turkish authorities formally registered the exact location traditionally identified as the house of Osman I, founder of the Ottoman state, inside the Sheikh Edebali Complex in Bilecik, northwestern Türkiye. The registration covers a 40-square-meter area,
The Beginning of Human History in Berlin: Göbeklitepe and Taş Tepeler Exhibition Opens
The story of humanity’s earliest communities is now unfolding in the heart of Europe. On February 10, a major exhibition dedicated to Göbeklitepe and the wider Taş Tepeler region opens in Berlin, bringing 12,000 years of history to an international audience. Titled “The Discovery of Society: Life 12,000 Years Ago at Göbeklitepe and the Taş
Ancient Ritual Pit at Oluz Höyük May Represent Anatolia’s Earliest Evidence of Zoroastrian Worship
Across central Anatolia, layers of earth sometimes preserve turning points in religious history. At Oluz Höyük, an archaeological mound near modern Amasya in northern Türkiye, researchers have identified a ritual installation that may represent the earliest archaeological evidence of Zoroastrian ceremonial practice in Anatolia. The interpretation is based on a detailed academic study examining a
A Hittite Goddess Vessel from Eskiyapar and the Ritual of “Drinking the God”
The Hittites were among the earliest state-forming societies of Anatolia, shaping their political power alongside an exceptionally complex religious system. Their rituals, preserved on thousands of cuneiform tablets, describe ceremonies rich in symbolism—many of which have long remained difficult to visualize. A small ceramic vessel unearthed at Eskiyapar now offers a rare and tangible glimpse