18 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

3,000-Year-Old Hazelnut Shells Discovered in the Sacred Hittite City of Nerik

In the sacred Hittite city of Nerik, located in the northern Vezirköprü district of Samsun province in the Central Black Sea Region of Türkiye, 3,000-year-old hazelnut shells and pieces of wooden cut with bronze tools were found.

Since the Fall of 2005, a research team, including academics from the U.S., Australia, Germany, and Türkiye, under the direction of Prof. Dr. Jörg Klinger and  PD Dr. Rainer Czichon has been conducting excavations at the site.

Hattushili III, brother of Muwatalli (1259 BC), was crowned king by the storm god of Nerik. While research on the political capital at Hattusa has continued over the past century, the history of Nerik, known to have been located in the mountains of Haharwa near the Kizilirmak river in northern Anatolia, is still only poorly known.

The first two survey seasons already yielded five fragments of Hittite cuneiform texts and two sealed bullae with hieroglyphic Luvian inscriptions. These not only represent the oldest written documents in northern Anatolia, but also the northernmost finds associated with Hittite culture

PD Dr. Rainer Czichon said that they had carried out a surface survey during the first two years, and then started excavations. “We already know that this region is a Hittite settlement. We have found cuneiform tablets that will prove that this place is Nerik. There are scriptures about Nerik in four cuneiform tablets that we found this year. There is a part named ‘Tahanga’ in two of the tablets. Tahanga is a section in Nerik’s ‘god of air’ temple. This is strong proof that Oymaağaç is Nerik. We are sure for 95 percent,” Czichon said.

The research team discovered surprising findings during their work this year.

Noting that 3,000-year-old hazelnut shells were extracted from the sacred water inside the tunnel, the excavation team said, “We believe that the temple there was used for many years. We see in the Oymaağaç Mound that it was used in the Old Hittite period, that is, from the 16th century B.C. to the 12th century B.C. We found a tunnel above the temple, and as we excavated the tunnel, we moved toward the water. At a depth of approximately 8 meters, we reached the area that the Hittites called ‘holy water.'”

In the sacred Hittites city of Nerik, where 3,000-year-old hazelnut shells and wooden pieces cut with bronze tools have been discovered. Photo: AA

“We believe that Nerik had a history of 3,500 years. But we were shocked when we found wooden remains inside the pool as there is no wet material in Anatolia. When we dug a little more in that area, we also found hazelnut shells. The 3,000-year-old hazelnut shells confirmed that the Black Sea Region was a hazelnut production center. Carbon dating tests on the wooden findings and hazelnut shells revealed they are approximately 3,000 years old.”

The artifacts unearthed from the region are presented to the public in the Nerik section of the Samsun Museum.

Cover Photo AA

Related Articles

Assyrian seal found in the ancient Kef Fortress built by the Urartians

18 November 2024

18 November 2024

An alabaster seal, believed to be from the Assyrian Empire and belonging to a nobleman, was discovered in the ancient...

One of the greatest gold treasures in Danish history found in Vindelev

6 September 2021

6 September 2021

Near the town of Jelling in Denmark, one of the biggest treasures ever found dating from the sixth century has...

The greatest Anglo-Saxon treasure trove ever unearthed has been discovered by a metal detectorist

10 November 2021

10 November 2021

A metal detector in West Norfolk, England, unearthed 131 coins and 4 golden artifacts going back 1,400 years. This is...

The Headless Corpses of Somersham was Victims of Roman Executions

30 May 2021

30 May 2021

Excavations at Knobb’s Farm in Somersham, Cambridgeshire, unearthed three small late Roman graves on the outskirts of an agricultural village....

Archaeologists discover innovative 40,000-year-old culture in China

2 March 2022

2 March 2022

Ancient hunter-gatherers living in what is now China may have been the first people in East Asia to process mustard...

Gladiators’ ancient hygiene tools on exhibit in Izmir

22 July 2021

22 July 2021

Turkey’s Izmir Archaeological Museum is hosting a different exhibition this month. A bronze strigil is the museum’s guest this month...

In Peru, Archaeologists Discovered an Ancient Dance Floor that can Imitate Rumbling of Thunder

21 July 2023

21 July 2023

Archaeologists have discovered an ancient “sounding” dance floor in Peru that was designed to create a drum-like sound when stepped...

Ancient tomb discovered under parking lot greenery in Japan

16 September 2023

16 September 2023

Shrubbery intended to illuminate a corner of a nondescript parking lot in Japan’s Nara prefecture turned out to be hiding...

3,000-year-old Treasure on the Iberian Peninsula made with material from a meteorite

7 February 2024

7 February 2024

Scientists have recently discovered that some of the pieces in the amazing Bronze Age collection known as the Villena Treasure,...

An Avar Warrior Buried with Lamellar Armor and Equipment Discovered in Hungary

3 February 2024

3 February 2024

Archaeologists of the Déri Museum in Debrecen (eastern Hungary) found the tomb of a fully armed and with a complete...

Environmentalists react to the rehabilitation works in the Assos ancient port

2 October 2021

2 October 2021

Among the continuing landscaping and restoration works at the historic city of Assos in the northern province of Canakkale, a...

A Medieval Necropolis Discovered During Excavations at the site of the Future Bus Station in Sozopol, Bulgaria

4 April 2024

4 April 2024

A medieval necropolis was discovered during excavations at the construction site of a bus station in the old seaside town...

Stonehenge’s Altar Stone May Be From Scotland, Over 700 Kilometers Away

14 August 2024

14 August 2024

Recent research led by Curtin University suggests that the Altar Stone at Stonehenge may have originated in northeast Scotland, at...

Headless skeletons discovered in Prehistoric mass grave

14 January 2023

14 January 2023

Archaeologists have found a mass grave site containing 38 decapitated burials at a Neolithic settlement in Vráble, Slovakia. The remains...

Roman camp of 10,000 people discovered in northern Portugal

2 July 2021

2 July 2021

A camp used by 10,000 Roman soldiers sent to conquer northwestern Iberia has been discovered in the Portuguese city of...