The 9,000-Year-Old Figurines of Gürcütepe Illuminate Life After Göbeklitepe
The first light over the Harran Plain has a way of turning everything into pale gold. From a distance, Gürcütepe looks like nothing more than a gentle rise in the landscape—quiet, unassuming, easy to miss. Yet beneath its surface lies one of the most revealing chapters in the story of how early societies redefined themselves
A Smiling Medusa Discovered in the Ancient City of Amastris on Türkiye’s Black Sea Coast
Archaeologists working in Amasra have uncovered a highly unusual depiction of one of antiquity’s most iconic mythological figures. A Medusa carved not with a terrifying expression, but with a gentle, almost smiling face has been found among the ceiling coffers of a monumental Roman stoa. The discovery offers a new perspective on the artistic choices
Hikers Stumble Upon a Mysterious Underground Mosque of Unknown Date in Batman’s Gömek Plateau
What began as a routine nature walk in the rugged highlands of Batman turned into one of the region’s most unexpected heritage discoveries in recent years. A group of hikers and local villagers exploring the Gömek Plateau near the dramatic ravine known as Cehennem Deresi happened upon a narrow opening in the rock face. What
A Newly Identified Boar Piglet Engraving Emerges from Sefertepe’s 2025 Excavations
The 2025 excavation season at Sefertepe, a rapidly emerging Neolithic site within the broader Taş Tepeler landscape of southeastern Türkiye, has brought to light a striking example of early symbolic expression. During ongoing fieldwork directed by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emre Güldoğan of Istanbul University’s Department of Prehistoric Archaeology, researchers identified a finely incised depiction of
A New Study Illuminates How Neolithic Lifeways Spread from Anatolia to the Aegean and Europe
A sweeping new analysis published in Science is reshaping our understanding of how early farming traditions radiated outward from Anatolia. The study sheds light on long-debated questions about how Neolithic lifeways moved from Anatolia to the Aegean and eventually Europe, revealing a far more intricate story than the linear models once proposed. Western Anatolia as
A New Wave of Neolithic Surprises at Taş Tepeler: Mysterious ‘Death Mask’ Sculpture Unveiled in Southeastern Türkiye
Human-like faces carved into stone, a rare double-sided bead, and an unsettling sculpture evoking the stillness of death—Türkiye’s vast Taş Tepeler region has revealed some of its most enigmatic Neolithic discoveries to date. The announcements came this week in Şanlıurfa, where the Ministry of Culture and Tourism shared 30 previously unknown finds that reshape current
Was Öksüt Castle Once a Hittite Stronghold? Local Experts Reconsider the Origins of a Massive Rock-Cut Fortress in Central Anatolia
High on the southern slopes of Mount Erciyes, the vast rock-cut complex of Öksüt Castle dominates the landscape with a network of carved chambers, tunnels, cisterns, and multi-level passageways. Although long known to the local population, the fortress is once again drawing attention as scholars and heritage specialists revisit longstanding claims of a Hittite-era origin
Turkish Excavation Team Makes Major Progress at the Ancient City of Syedra
Syedra, rising above the Mediterranean on the steep ridges near modern Alanya, is undergoing one of the most dynamic archaeological transformations in southern Türkiye. Under the direction of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ertuğ Ergürer of Alaaddin Keykubat University, the excavation project has advanced at an unprecedented pace, exposing large parts of the ancient settlement and reshaping
Rare Aramaic Inscription Discovered in Rural Ardahan Undergoes Expert Analysis in Kars Museum
A rare Aramaic inscription uncovered in a remote village in Ardahan has been transferred to the Kars Archaeology and Ethnography Museum, where specialists have begun a full epigraphic assessment. The stone, preserved in remarkably good condition, represents the first documented example of an Aramaic text from the Kars–Ardahan highlands — a discovery that is already
A Rare Find at Kastabala: Philosopher Mask Appears Where It Normally Shouldn’t
In the heart of southern Türkiye, a quiet corner of the ancient city of Kastabala has produced a discovery that breaks with what archaeologists normally expect from Roman stage buildings. A newly uncovered stone mask—depicting an elderly thinker with sharply modelled features—has emerged from the theatre’s façade. And according to the excavation team, philosopher masks