9 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

1,500-year-old Byzantine artifacts found under a peach orchard in Turkey’s Iznik

In the world-famous historical city of Iznik, which was the capital of four civilizations, a farmer found coins and historical artifacts in his peach orchard. The artifacts are believed to belong to the 1,500-year-old Byzantine period.

Özkan Yılmaz, a farmer, artifacts found in the orchard that resemble a tablet with a cross and figures of children on them.

Iznik has been the capital city of four civilizations and such historical pieces are proof that our land is full of historical treasures. I was digging for peaches here and came across a shining object with some small coins next to it. I was surprisingly happy and excited when I realized what these objects are,” said Yılmaz.

Yilmaz said that he will deliver the historical artifacts to the museum as they enhance national history, and believes it is a moral duty to preserve treasures.

1,500-year-old artifacts bearing a cross, and some coins in a peach orchard in Iznik, Turkey Photo: IHA Photo

İznik is a city on the eastern shore of the same-named lake and is 86 kilometers (km) northeast of Bursa. Iznik was built between olive groves, vineyards, and orchards and is encircled by 2,000-year-old walls that are about 5 km long. The Cicekli, Karadin, and Cakırca mounds, which are close to the city, contain the remains of a civilization that existed 2,500 BC. The established settlements was named as ‘Helikore’ before the migration of Thracian tribes in the 7th century BC Khryseapolis (Gold City) name is read on the printed coins.

The city is renovated by Macedonian emperor Alexander’s general Antigonus in BC 316 years and the city is referred as Antigoneia. After the death of Alexander, the battle between Antigonus and the generals Lysimakhos is resulted with Lysimakhos’victory and he named the city after his wife Nicaea – the daughter of Antipatros.

An important city in early Christian history, İznik (known in ancient times as Nicaea) was the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea. These councils established key tenets of Christianity such as the Nicene Creed and sainted how Christians should interact with icons.

Related Articles

An Iron Age Necropolis was discovered in the Normandy, northwestern France

11 May 2022

11 May 2022

A modest Iron Age agricultural settlement excavated at Blainville-sur-Orne in Normandy, northwest France, led to the unexpected discovery of a...

Antikythera underwater excavation digs up new discoveries “huge marble head”

20 June 2022

20 June 2022

The second phase of underwater archaeological research (May 23 to June 15, 2022) on the Antikythera shipwreck resulted in the...

Hiker found a place of holy worship at an altitude of 2,590 meters in the Swiss Alps

15 March 2023

15 March 2023

A trekking enthusiast stumbled upon an ancient Roman coin buried in rubble in a remote area high in the Alps...

The Temple of Persian Water Goddess Anahita Discovered in Iraqi Kurdistan

8 March 2024

8 March 2024

Archaeologists excavating the Rabana-Merquly mountain fortress in what is present-day Iraqi Kurdistan suggest that it may also have served as...

11,000-Year-Old LSU Campus Mounds Are Oldest Known Human-Made Structures In North America

23 August 2022

23 August 2022

According to new research published in the American Journal of Science, two six-meter (20-foot) high mounds on the campus of...

Pluto’s ‘Gate to Hell’ in Hierapolis

25 April 2021

25 April 2021

Hierapolis Pluto or Pluto’s Gate is a ploutonion (a religious site dedicated to the god Pluto) in the ancient city...

A 13th-Century Italian Fresco Reveals the Medieval Church’s Use of Islamic Altar Tents

3 February 2025

3 February 2025

A recently rediscovered 13th-century fresco in Ferrara, Italy, offers significant insights into the medieval practice of utilizing Islamic tents to...

Marmore, the Highest and Oldest Artificial Waterfall in Europe, Created by the Romans

4 March 2024

4 March 2024

Approximately eight kilometers away from the town of Terni in Umbria, Italy, there is a waterfall that is one of...

The impressive Statue of young Hercules unearthed in Philippi, Northern Greece

24 September 2022

24 September 2022

A larger-than-life youthful Hercules statue dating to the 2nd century A.D. have been found in the ancient city of Philippi...

In western Turkey, inscriptions and 2,500-year-old sculptures were found

11 July 2021

11 July 2021

Two 2,500-year-old marble statues and an inscription have been found during excavations at the ancient city of Euromos, in Turkey’s...

13th-Century skeletons Unearthed in Annaea Mound

8 May 2021

8 May 2021

At the historical Kadıkalesi archaeological site in Turkey’s western Aydin province’s Kuşadası district, a total of five skeletons thought to...

The oldest meerschaum artifact found in Anatolia; of Çavlum Seal

18 July 2021

18 July 2021

The stamp seal unearthed during the rescue excavations of Çavlum Village on the Eskişehir Alpu Plain is the oldest meerschaum...

Beehives of Saudi Arabia’s Thought to be Over 1,000 Years Old

20 July 2024

20 July 2024

Located in the majestic Sarawat Mountain range in western Saudi Arabia, the ancient beehives in the Maysan Governorate constitute a...

The tomb of the “Bird Oracle Markos” was found in the ancient city of Pergamon

31 August 2022

31 August 2022

During the excavations carried out in the Ancient City of Bergama, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the...

2600-year-old Med period artifacts found in Oluz Höyük, in Turkey

17 October 2022

17 October 2022

During the Oluz Höyük excavations in Amasya, artifacts dating back to the Med Kingdom period were found, dating back to...