2024 had been a year with plentiful archeological discoveries around Turkey. I tried to list top 10 most remarkable archaeological discoveries in Turkey in 2024. When I created this list, I tried to include the importance of the discovery, location of the discovery and the name of the the head archeologist who is in charge of the excavation. You can check my website and look more on the web for further information.
- A monumental 1,800-year-old marble head of Zeus was discovered near the Temple of Aphrodite in the ancient city of Aphrodisias in Aydın.
(Head of excavation: Prof. Roland R. R. Smith) - A cuneiform tablet dated to the reign of the Hittite King Tuthaliya II and describing an invasion 3,300 years ago was deciphered at Büklükale in Kırıkkale.
(Head of excavation: Kimiyoshi Matsumura) - More than 100 ornaments used as piercings dating back 11,000 years were discovered during the excavations at Boncuklu Tarla in Mardin.
(Head of excavation: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ergül Kodaş) - Remains of fermented bread dating back 8,600 years were discovered inside a bakery structure in the Neolithic settlement of Çatalhöyük in Konya.
(Head of excavation: Prof. Dr. Ali Umut Türkcan) - In the Tepecik-Çiftlik mound in Niğde, the skulls of seven people who were plastered and decorated with clay and lime 9,000 years ago were discovered.
(Head of Excavation: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Erhan Bıçakçı)
- At Çemka Höyük in Mardin, a tomb of a woman thought to be a shaman buried with wild animals 12,000 years ago was discovered.
(Head of excavation: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ergül Kodaş) - A 12,000-year-old room full of skulls was discovered at Sefertepe, a contemporary of Göbeklitepe in Şanlıurfa.
(Head of excavation: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emre Güldoğan) - A 3,600-year-old bronze dagger from the Cretan-Minos Civilization was discovered during underwater excavations off Kumluca in Antalya.
(Head of excavation: Assoc. Prof. Hakan Öniz) - A huge basalt statue of the Urartians, weighing about a ton, was discovered in Garibin Tepe in Van.
(Head of excavation: Prof. Dr. Mehmet Işıklı) - Gold coins hidden in pottery 2,500 years ago were discovered in the ancient city of Notion in Izmir.
(Head of excavation: Prof. Dr. C. John Ratte)
