Traces of Assyrian Trade Colonies Emerging in Türkiye’s Yassı Höyük: Are Written Tablets on the Horizon?
Excavations at Yassı Höyük, located in the Afşin district of Kahramanmaraş, Turkey, are shedding light on layers potentially dating back to the Assyrian Trade Colonies Period. Excavation director Assoc. Prof. Dr. Elif Baştürk expressed growing excitement: “We’re wondering — are we getting close to written sources? Could we uncover tablets or other records?” Launched in
2,800-year-old kilograms of chickpeas, wheat, apricot kernels, grapes and garlic grains found in Yassı Mound
Carbonized chickpeas, wheat, apricot kernels, grapes and garlic grains dating back 2,800 years were found at Yassı Mound in the southern Turkish province of Kahramanmaraş. Since 2021, excavations at Yassı Mound, led by Assoc. Prof. Elif Baştürk of Ahi Evran University, have shown the existence of nine distinct layers that existed continuously between 6,000 BC