18 September 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

60-million-year-old Snail Fossil Found in southern Turkey

A snail fossil dating to the age of 60 million was found in Mersin’s Toroslar district.

The snail fossil discovered by Süleyman Uygun was examined by Professor Deniz Ayas from Mersin University Faculty of Fisheries. Professor Deniz Ayas said that “that the snail fossil dates back 60 million years”

Snail Fossil, Belonging to the Paleocene Period

“The snail fossil is a rare species and belongs to the Paleocene period from 60 million years ago,” said Professor Deniz Ayas, a faculty member at the Faculty of Fisheries at Mersin University, who studied the snail fossil found in the Arslanköy District of Mersin’s Taurus district.

“A large number of fossils are found in the Taurus Mountains. Anatolia was the bottom of the Tethys sea in ancient times. Anatolia is a region that rose as a result of the African continent hitting Eurasia. For this reason, it is natural to find a large number of marine fossils. This is a snail fossil from the Paleocene period. Since these are limestone skeletons, they can easily be fossilized. We see a lot of fossils in this region, but these are one of the rarer ones,” he said.

snail fossil Paleocene
The 60-million-year-old Paleocene period snail fossil will be exhibited in Mersin University Fisheries Museum. Photo: DHA

Donate to the Museum

Saying that they will exhibit the fossil in the museum, Ayas said, “The Paleocene period is 60 million years ago. We cannot talk about Anatolia in this period. It passes as the base of the Anatolian Tethys Sea. A marine creature fossil from those times. There are many examples, which prove that Anatolia is a seafloor. Mersin is very rich in terms of fossils. People come across these fossils while wandering in nature. It sounds interesting to people and they house it at home. This is not true, because fossils have scientific significance. Museums are an opportunity for fossils to be seen by other people. “I am calling for those who have fossils to donate to the museum” he spoke.

Paleocene Period

The Paleocene period is the geological time period that started 65 million years ago and ended about 55 million years ago. At the end of the Kraetase period, Anatolian began to appear, similar to today.

According to the International Chronostratigraphic Chart; The first time period of the Paleocene Period is Cenozoic Time. Cenozoic Time is the period after the dinosaur extinction period. Before the Cretaceous in a Mesozoic, then the Eocene in Cenozoic.

Source: DHA

Related Articles

Who really fought in the Battle of Himera? Researchers found the answer to the question

14 May 2021

14 May 2021

According to the Ancient Greek Historians, victory over the Carthaginians in the Battle of Himera was won by the alliance...

“Nikasitimos Was Here Mounting Timiona,” 2,500-year-old erotic graffiti on Astypalaia, Greece

7 April 2024

7 April 2024

In 2014, an archaeologist working on Astypalaia, a remote Greek island of the Dodecanese discovered one of the world’s oldest...

Tombs of Queens of Commagene Detected

23 September 2021

23 September 2021

The graves built by Commagene King Mithritades II (36-21 BC) for his mother Isias, his sister Antiokhis, and Antiochis’s daughter...

Archeologists unearth largest rare wooden “Haniwa” Statue in Japan

10 December 2022

10 December 2022

The remains of a 3.5-meter-tall wooden “haniwa” statue have been discovered at one of the “kofun” ancient burial mounds that...

Researchers Make Distilled Wine in a Replica of a 2,000-year-old Bronze Vessel Found in the Emperor’s Tomb

1 January 2025

1 January 2025

Archaeologists in China have produced distilled wine in a replica of a 2,000-year-old bronze vessel recovered from an emperor’s tomb,...

Farmer Found Sarcophagus of Hellenistic Period in his Field

9 April 2021

9 April 2021

The citizen named E. G. in Akçakoca, Taşkuyucak District of Gölmarmara district of Manisa (Turkey), while plowing his field, thought...

1400-year-old gold foil figures found in pagan temple

19 September 2023

19 September 2023

Archaeologists have discovered a votive gold hoard during road development works in Vingrom, south of Lillehammer on the shores of...

More than 1,300 prehistoric burial mounds in western Azerbaijan systematically surveyed for the first time

2 January 2025

2 January 2025

Over 1,300 archaeological sites in Azerbaijan were systematically surveyed and documented in two field campaigns in 2021 and 2023 by...

3000-year-old clay figurine discovered in Germany may be a prehistoric water goddess

14 July 2022

14 July 2022

Archaeologists have discovered a rare clay figurine thought to represent a prehistoric water goddess in the Schweinfurt region of Germany....

Jiroft: The Mysterious Rival of Mesopotamia and the Dawn of an Ancient Civilization

24 March 2025

24 March 2025

Recent archaeological discoveries in southeast Iran are reshaping our understanding of early civilizations, particularly the Jiroft Civilization, which thrived around...

Ancient Roman city of Pompeii, archaeologists have unearthed a fresco depicting the Greek mythological siblings Phrixus and Helle

2 March 2024

2 March 2024

Archaeologists excavating a house adjacent to the House of Leda in Insula 6, Regio V, in the ancient Roman city...

3600 years old Unique ancient drinking bowls on display at Boğazkale Museum

15 August 2021

15 August 2021

The 3,600-year-old fist-shaped drinking bowls found in excavations in Hattusa, the capital of the Hittite Civilization, which shaped the Anatolian...

Discovery Shedding Light on Ancient Maritime Trade: 1,500-Year-Old Trade Shipwreck Found off Türkiye’s Ayvalık

21 December 2024

21 December 2024

‘Turkish Sunken-Ships Project: Blue Heritage’, a 1500-year-old trade shipwreck was found off the coast of Ayvalık district of Balıkesir. Under...

Excavation in Larissa finds a Hellenistic era sanctuary

27 November 2021

27 November 2021

The Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sport reported on Friday the discovery of ancient Greek and Hellenistic era structures at...

Storms uncover precious marble cargo from a 1,800-year-old Mediterranean shipwreck in Israel

15 May 2023

15 May 2023

Numerous rare marble artifacts have been found at the site of a 1,800-year-old shipwreck in shallow waters just 200 meters...