10 February 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

7,000-Year-Old Animal-Figured Seals Found in Arslantepe, Anatolia’s First City-State

Archaeologists working at the Arslantepe Mound (Turkish: Arslantepe Höyük), a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Türkiye’s eastern Malatya province and thought to be the first city-state in Anatolia, have found two 7,000-year-old animal-figured seals.

Arslantepe, a 30 m high mound located around 7 km east of Malatya, is home to remains found in layers dating from 5000 BC to the 11th century.

In particular, the discoveries made in the layers that date back to 3000 BC revealed the first indications of how humanity evolved into a sophisticated social structure and established a state before the invention of written documents. Arslantepe was an administrative and commercial hub, as evidenced by the palace structure and numerous seals discovered there that date to 3300–3000 BC.  Furthermore, Arslantepe, whose oldest settlement dates back to the Chalcolithic Era, is home to the world’s first known swords. The city was known then as Malitiya, according to Hittite sources. Arslantepe is thought to be the first city-state in Anatolia.

Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2021.

Photo: AA

Italian Professor Francesca Balossi Restelli, the head of the excavation team, says the seals might date back an even earlier.

Restelli told Anadolu Agency that they compared the styles of the seals in other regions to determine the date from their motifs.

“When we look at the style, I think that the date of these seals will be older, 5,000 BC,” Restelli said.

Noting that animal figures were carved on the seals, she said they are the oldest seals found so far at Arslantepe.

Photo: AA

“There are definitely older ones because there are layers 10 meters (32 feet) below the hill. I am sure we will find older seals as we descend,” she added.

More than 2,000 stamp seals have been found in the mound so far. The site was occupied at least since the sixth millennium BCE, according to archaeological evidence, and continued until the late Roman era.

Related Articles

Gravitational Wave Researchers Shed New Light on the Mystery of the 2,000-Year-Old Computer Antikythera Mechanism

28 June 2024

28 June 2024

Astronomers from the University of Glasgow who specialize in studying tiny ripples in space-time have shed new light on the...

Newly Discovered Two Fortress Settlements and a New Type of Open-Air Temple in Eastern Anatolia Region of Türkiye

26 March 2024

26 March 2024

Two fortress settlements and two new open-air temples were discovered during a survey in Tunceli province in the Eastern Anatolia...

The sword, thought to be a replica, turned out to be an authentic 3000-year-old Bronze Age sword

22 January 2023

22 January 2023

A sword in Chicago’s Field Museum that was previously thought to be a replica has been revealed to be an...

New Evidence could Change the Date People First Arrived in North America

2 June 2021

2 June 2021

While investigating the origins of agriculture, researchers made an unexpected discovery. According to an unexpected finding made by an Iowa...

A 1900-year-old stele was discovered in Turkey’s ancient city of Parion

5 August 2021

5 August 2021

A 1,900-year-old grave stele was found during excavations in Parion, an important ancient port city, near Kemer village in the...

The Famous Cueva de Ardales cave in Spain was used by ancient humans for over 50,000 years

8 June 2022

8 June 2022

Cueva de Ardales cave in Málaga, Spain,  famed for the extensive prehistoric art on its walls was excavated for the...

Lost medieval road thought to have been used by famous Scottish king Robert the Bruce found

27 June 2021

27 June 2021

Excavating a hill considered to have played a critical part in the Battle of Bannockburn, archaeologists discovered a forgotten medieval...

Archaeologists discovered on Tunisian coast three shipwrecks, one of which 2,000 years old

8 June 2023

8 June 2023

A team of archaeologists from eight countries—Algeria, Croatia, Egypt, France, Italy, Morocco, Spain, and Tunisia bordering the Mediterranean Sea has...

Evidence of Brain Surgery performed 3,000 years ago discovered in the ancient city of Tel Megiddo

27 February 2023

27 February 2023

Researchers have discovered a rare instance of delicate cranial surgery, possibly the earliest of its kind in the Middle East,...

A surprising discovery in Lublin countryside! Ancient figurines of Egyptian and Roman gods found

6 May 2023

6 May 2023

Two ancient figurines depicting the Egyptian god Osiris and a bust of the Roman god Bacchus were found in the...

The Ancient City of Miletos’s “Sacred Cave” Opened to Visitors

2 October 2021

2 October 2021

In the ancient city of Miletos, which had an important place in the advancement of philosophy, art, and science in...

Silver coins found near the ruins of the medieval monastery in Holy island

10 November 2021

10 November 2021

Archaeologists have discovered a silver coin on Lindisfarne, known as Holy Island, in the northeast of England. Dig Ventures is...

World’s Oldest Arrow Poison Discovered in South Africa, Dating Back 7,000 Years

27 January 2025

27 January 2025

In a groundbreaking discovery, archaeologists excavating Kruger Cave in South Africa have identified what may be the oldest confirmed multi-component...

Research Team Identifies Oldest Bone Spear Point In The Americas

3 February 2023

3 February 2023

A team of researchers has identified the Manis bone projectile point as the oldest weapon made of bone ever found...

Ruins of China’s earliest state academy found in east China

21 February 2022

21 February 2022

The ruins of ancient China‘s first government-run institution of higher learning, built in 374 BC, have been discovered in the...