5 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

4,000-Year-Old Seal Found at Tavşanlı Mound in Western Türkiye

4,000-year-old seal were found at the Tavşanlı Mound (or Tavşanlı Höyük) in Türkiye’s Kütahya province—located in the west of the Anatolian peninsula.

Dubbed the “Heart of Kütahya” over its shape detected through aerial footage, the “Tavşanlı Mound” located in the namesake district is unearthed through the cooperation of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University (BŞEU), along with the support of the Tavşanlı Municipality.

According to archaeologist Erkan Fidan at Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University, who led the research, the mound is the oldest settlement in the area, and likely served as the capital of the region in the Bronze Age.

Evidence suggests there was a large-scale attack on the city around 1700 B.C. that resulted in the entire settlement being burned to the ground.

This year’s excavations yielded important findings. Among them, a 4000-year-old clay seal made of faience stands out.

The material defined as faience in the Second Millennium BC is terminologically different from its current meaning. In the II Millennium BC, faience was obtained by coating a lumpy (consolidated, sintered) quartz core/body with glaze. Faience were probably produced simultaneously in the Near East and Egypt in the IVth millennium BC.

Photo: AA

In the first half of the Second Millennium BC, following the end of the Early Bronze Age, Anatolia transitioned socially and culturally to a period of more intensive long-distance trade. This period is defined as the Assyrian Trade Colonies.

The fact that faience seals were previously found in Kültepe and Acemhöyük, the great trade centers of Central Anatolia, makes this find even more exceptional. This finding is very important as it reveals that faience cylinder seals were also present in Western Anatolia in the early period.

This seal stands out as an important discovery that proves the existence of new trade routes between east and west.

This seal made of faience shows that Tavşanlı Höyük was not only a settlement but also an important center of trade and cultural interaction. The fact that these seals are usually found in large trade centers proves that the region was part of the economic networks of antiquity.

This ceramic seal is considered not only as a trade object but also as a symbol emphasizing the place and importance of Western Anatolia in the ancient world.

Cover Image: Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University (BŞEU)

Related Articles

Archaeologists Reconstruct the Face of a 7th-Century Anglo-Saxon Woman Buried with “Trumpington Cross”

21 June 2023

21 June 2023

In a remarkable archaeological discovery near Cambridge, England, the face of a 7th-century Anglo-Saxon woman buried with a rare gold...

Remarkable discovery of Iron Age and Roman treasures found near a boggy area on Anglesey

29 February 2024

29 February 2024

Metal detectorist Ian Porter unearthed sixteen historical artifacts in a boggy field on Anglesey. Among the items found were Iron...

Largest Anglo-Saxon cemetery discovered in Britain illuminates ‘Dark Ages’

16 June 2022

16 June 2022

Archaeologists working on HS2 (the purpose-built high-speed railway line) have discovered a rich Anglo-Saxon cemetery in Wendover, Buckinghamshire, where almost...

A rare treasure with ornaments nearly a thousand years old was discovered in Staraya Ryazan, Russia

18 August 2021

18 August 2021

During expeditions of the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a rare treasure with ornaments of about...

Minoan civilization may have used celestial navigation techniques

3 March 2023

3 March 2023

According to a study done by an American researcher at the University of Wales, ancient civilizations may have used celestial...

A new study reveals the Achaemenid Kingdom paid its workers silver

21 September 2021

21 September 2021

A new study on inscribed clay tablets that were used in the treasury archives of the Achaemenid Empire revealed that...

Feline and anthropomorphic 29 new geoglyphs discovered in Peru

21 December 2023

21 December 2023

In Ica, a region south of Lima on the coast of Peru, 29 geoglyphs were found by an archaeologist from...

The remains of a very uncommon’ dinosaur species have been discovered in Brazil

20 November 2021

20 November 2021

Researchers have uncovered the remains of a toothless, two-legged dinosaur species that lived 70 million years ago in Brazil, calling...

New Type of Amphora Found in 5th-Century Roman Shipwreck

28 April 2024

28 April 2024

The first in-depth analysis of the cargo of a 4th-century Roman shipwreck found off the coast of Mallorca in 2019...

Women buried with thick twisted bronze neck rings and buckets on their feet found in Ukraine

20 January 2024

20 January 2024

Archaeologists discovered the remains of men buried with weapons such as axes, spearheads, and swords, and women buried with thick...

Netherlands’s unique treasure finds of medieval gold jewelry and silver coins

12 March 2023

12 March 2023

The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (the National Museum of Antiquities) in the Netherlands has announced that a unique treasure of 1000-year-old...

Roman-era Pottery Workshop discovered in Alexandria

29 April 2022

29 April 2022

The Egyptian archaeological mission discovered a Roman-era pottery workshop at the site of Tibet Mutawah, west of Alexandria. The researchers...

Archaeologists uncover ancient mosaic of the living room of brutal Publius Vedius Pollio

13 December 2022

13 December 2022

In the Pausilypon Archaeological Park, archaeologists from the University of Naples’ “L’Orientale” uncovered an ancient mosaic. The park is located...

Iznik Archaeology Museum reveals 2,500-year-old love letter

16 January 2023

16 January 2023

İznik is an ancient habitation that hosts various civilizations due to its fertile lands, trade routes, and many other reasons....

6,000-year-old island settlement found off the Croatian coast

24 June 2021

24 June 2021

Archaeologist Mate Parica, a professor at the University of Zadar, noticed something unusual while examining satellite images of Croatia‘s coastline....