14 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

An Urartian female executive grave was found at the Çavuştepe Mound

The grave of an Urartian, who was buried with his horse, cattle, and dog, had been found recently. Today, another interesting tomb was unearthed in the Çavuştepe Mound necropolis at the same place.

Excavations are being carried out in the area of Çavuştepe castle and the necropolis to its north, under the direction of Professor Rafet Çavuşoğlu, head of the Archeology Department of Van Yüzüncü Yıl University (YYÜ).

When the team led by Professor Rafet Çavuşoğlu removed the tomb of the manager, who was buried with his horse, cattle, and dog, they reached the tomb of an Urartian woman underneath.

Çavuştepe castle
Çavuştepe Mound

The woman had no head

It was seen that the woman, who was buried with her jewelry, did not have a head. Noting that this situation is the result of his religious belief or a ritual, the excavation head Rafet Çavuşoğlu told Anadolu Agency (AA).

“We guess that the head of the woman who owns the tomb may have been placed in a more sacred place. We also found two official seals on the skeleton.”

When the team led by Professor Rafet Çavuşoğlu removed the tomb of the manager, who was buried with his horse, cattle, and dog, they reached the tomb of an Urartian woman underneath.

“There were two seals in the jewelry that are very important to us. One of these seals is made of bronze and the other is made of alabaster. In ancient times, rulers and merchants could carry seals. It is very important that there are two seals on the woman here. The tree of life and various figures are engraved on one of them. The other one is arranged in the form of a lion and there is a stamp at the bottom.”

Urartian female manager
The tomb of the Urartian female executive attracts attention with its rich tomb gifts. Among the grave gifts are two seals.

“We determined that the skeleton belonged to a woman between the ages of 40-50. The necklace has the classical features of the Urartians. In addition, we are faced with magnificent jewelry made of metal, bronze, and silver beads, agate, coralline, pyrite stones, seashell, and glass. The ornamental pins with three animal ornamental heads are quite well preserved. There is a pendulum earring that is beautifully crafted bronze. Very valuable jewelry for that period. It was found not in order but stacked on top of each other. Jewelry with seashells can only be found in the Mediterranean. It must have arrived by trade or by special order. This shows that this person is a very important person. Çavuştepe necropolis has always surprised and continues to surprise us,” he said.

Related Articles

Ancient Footprints Offer Evidence Humans Wore Shoes 148,000 Years Ago

12 September 2023

12 September 2023

A new analysis of ancient footprints in South Africa suggests that the humans who made these tracks might have been...

A burial complex dating to the Second Intermediate Period has been discovered at the Dra Abu el-Naga necropolis at Luxor

12 April 2023

12 April 2023

At the Dra Abu el-Naga necropolis in Luxor, a family burial complex from the Second Intermediate Period has been found....

Habib-i Neccar Mosque, one of the first mosques in Anatolia, was destroyed in the earthquake

12 February 2023

12 February 2023

Antakya Habib-i Neccar Mosque, one of the first mosques built in Anatolia, was destroyed in the earthquake that killed tens...

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....

More than 56400 Cultural Goods Seized in Operation Pandora V

11 May 2021

11 May 2021

Operation Pandora V, aimed at preventing the illegal trade of cultural goods, has been one of the most successful operations...

Cosmic cataclysm 1,500 years ago may have caused downfall of the Hopewell Culture

3 February 2022

3 February 2022

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati find evidence of cosmic cataclysm 1,500 years ago at 11 ancient sites in three...

3800-years-old Akkadian Cuneiform Tablet found in Turkey’s Hatay

11 August 2023

11 August 2023

A 3,800-year-old Akkadian cuneiform tablet was found during the archaeological excavations carried out in the Aççana Mound, the old city...

A 900-year-old Crusader sword was found by a diver off Israel’s Carmen coast

18 October 2021

18 October 2021

A meter-long sword dating back to the Crusader period was found by an amateur diver on the seabed off the...

Ancient necropolis of stillborn babies and very young children found in Auxerre, France

8 June 2024

8 June 2024

A team from INRAP, France’s national archaeology and preservation agency, unearthed a necropolis dedicated to stillborn and very young children...

Excavations at Körzüt Castle unearth 2 cuneiform inscriptions and a new Urartian Susi temple

25 October 2023

25 October 2023

During the rescue excavations carried out at the Körzüt Castle in the Muradiye district of Van province in eastern Turkey,...

The Light of the Patara Lighthouse will Shine Again After Centuries

1 March 2025

1 March 2025

The ancient lighthouse in Patara, built by Roman Emperor Nero and destroyed by natural disasters, has reached the final stages...

15 new sculptures discovered in Turkey’s sculpture paradise Yesemek

8 December 2021

8 December 2021

Archaeologists discovered 15 new sculptures during recent digs around the Yesemek Open Air Museum and Sculpture Workshop in the Islahiye...

New discoveries have been made at a 9,000-year-old Amida mound in Turkey

1 January 2022

1 January 2022

The most recent archeological investigations at the 9,000-year-old Amida Mound in southeastern Turkey’s Diyarbakir province have uncovered fresh finds that...

“Important discovery” showing that the Hittite city of Büklükale close ties with the Hurrian society

21 October 2022

21 October 2022

According to Japanese archaeologists, an ancient clay tablet discovered at the Büklükale ruins in central Turkey suggests that a little-known...

409 silver coins, found in the Mleiha area of Sharjah, were inspired by Alexander the Great and the Seleucid dynasty

17 July 2021

17 July 2021

409 silver coins dating to the 3rd century have been found in the Mleiha area of Sharjah in the United...