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,
Beneath a Modern Market in Trabzon, a Rare Roman-Era River Harbor Emerges
For years, the Pazarkapı district in Trabzon was simply a marketplace. Few suspected that beneath the demolished Kadınlar Hali building lay a structure that would quietly redefine how we understand Black Sea commerce. Recent archaeological and conservation work has identified the remains as a river harbor connected to the Kuzgundere Stream — and, according to
Seljuk-Era Bronze Amulet Discovered at Ancient Lystra in Central Türkiye
Archaeological excavations at ancient Lystra, near Konya in central Türkiye, have revealed a Seljuk-era bronze amulet, adding a new dimension to the city’s already layered history. The triangular pendant was uncovered inside what archaeologists believe to be a Seljuk-period residential structure — alongside material evidence linked to Christian communities living under Seljuk rule. The excavations
Was Göbeklitepe Really About Male Power? New Study Reframes Taş Tepeler Rituals
For decades, the towering stone pillars of southeastern Türkiye have been read through a familiar lens: power, dominance, fertility cults, and the early emergence of male authority. The monumental sites of the Taş Tepeler region—especially Göbeklitepe—have often been interpreted as visual declarations of masculinity carved in stone. But what if that assumption says more about
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
2,800-Year-Old Inscriptions from Körzüt Reveal Urartu’s Conquest Strategy and Divine Legitimacy
Newly uncovered 2,800-year-old cuneiform inscriptions from the Körzüt Fortress in eastern Anatolia provide rare, first-hand evidence of how the Kingdom of Urartu justified military expansion through divine authority. Dating to the reign of King Minua, the texts document not only conquest but the ideological language that bound warfare, religion, and state power together. Körzüt Fortress
Carchemish, the Hittites’ Frontier City on the Euphrates, Introduced Through a New Exhibition in Ankara
One of the most strategically important cities of the Hittite world has returned to public view—this time not on the banks of the Euphrates, but in the heart of Türkiye’s capital. A new exhibition titled “Carchemish of the Hittites on the Banks of the Euphrates: New Discoveries and New Perspectives” has opened at the Museum
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