8 August 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

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

An alabaster seal, believed to be from the Assyrian Empire and belonging to a nobleman, was discovered in the ancient Kef Fortress built by the Urartians in the city of Bitlis in Türkiye’s southeastern.

Archaeological excavations at the ancient Kef Fortress, built by Urartian King Rusa II at an elevation of 2,300 meters, have uncovered new artifacts that shed light on Urartian history.

Kef castle was built by Rusa II, who reigned between 685 and 645 BC. During his time four big iconic cities of the period were constructed. Kef Castle is one of the remaining parts of these cities. The city is strategically located as it can control trade routes and it can oversee the area.

The ongoing excavations, led by Associate Professor Ismail Coskun from the Archaeology Department of Van Yuzuncu Yil University (YYU), are conducted with permission from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

During the excavations in the architectural structures connected to the hall unearthed during the excavations carried out in previous years, arrowheads, seven elephant foot columns, spindle whorls used in textiles, and a button-shaped seal made of alabaster with figures on both sides, which is thought to have come from the Assyrian Empire, were unearthed.

Kef Castle is the only castle where so much basalt was used during the Urartu period. Photo: Harun Nacar/AA
Kef Castle is the only castle where so much basalt was used during the Urartu period. Photo: Harun Nacar/AA

Coşkun stated that they worked in 6 trenches on the side of the upper hall this year and that in these trenches they identified 7 new elephant feet in addition to last year’s 3 elephant feet.

The use of basalt stones in the construction of Kef Fortress sets it apart as a unique Urartian structure. The basalt stones were likely sourced from Mount Suphan, which looms over the site.

Coşkun, who informed that they also opened the rooms on the side that are related to the hall, said the following:

‘In these rooms, we found arrowheads, spindle whorls used in textiles, and a seal made of alabaster. There are figures on both sides of this button-shaped seal. When we look at the content of the figures, we think that the seal is not local but imported. We think that the seal came from the Assyrian Empire, a neighbor of Urartu. When we look at its characteristics, we think that this seal belonged to a nobleman since alabaster is rare in the region and it is an important material.’

These discoveries are important for deepening our understanding of Urartian history and contributing to the cultural heritage of the region.

Cover Image Credit: Harun Nacar/AA

Related Articles

Will the Siloam Inscription be returned to Israel?

12 March 2022

12 March 2022

During the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Turkey, the claim that he wanted the Siloam Inscription, one of...

Study refutes previous assumptions, DNA evidence rewrites story of people buried in Pompeii eruption

8 November 2024

8 November 2024

Researchers from the University of Florence, Harvard University, and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig analyzed the...

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....

Rare Five Bronze Age Axes found in the Forests of Poland

5 December 2023

5 December 2023

Archaeologists in Poland have discovered five Bronze Age axes in Starogard Forest District, located in Kociewie. A metal detectorist named...

Hunting tools Dating Back 1900 Years Found inside a Cave in Querétaro, Mexico

27 January 2024

27 January 2024

Archaeologists from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) found hunting weapons dating back approximately 1,900 years in a...

Multiple Burials found at Çatalhöyük

17 September 2021

17 September 2021

Multiple burials were unearthed during the ongoing excavations in the house on the eastern mound of the Neolithic settlement Çatalhöyük....

‘World’s oldest dated rune stone’ found in Norway

18 January 2023

18 January 2023

The oldest known Rune stone in Norway has been discovered by Norwegian archaeologists working at the Museum of Cultural History...

World’s Oldest Customer Complaint “at 3800 Years Old”

4 February 2021

4 February 2021

When we are not satisfied with the product we receive, what almost all of us do is complain about the...

Researchers identified, for the first time, the composition of a Roman perfume more than 2,000 years old

25 May 2023

25 May 2023

A research team at the University of Cordoba has identified, for the first time, the composition of a Roman perfume...

6,000-Year-Old “Kołobrzeg Venus”: A Remarkable Neolithic Discovery on the Baltic Coast

20 June 2025

20 June 2025

A remarkable archaeological discovery has emerged from the sandy shores of Poland’s Baltic coast near Kołobrzeg—a 6,000-year-old female figurine now...

1500-year-old Amulet Made to Ward off the Evil Eye in Galilee

26 May 2021

26 May 2021

Discovered about 40 years ago in the Galilee village of Arbel, the necklace sheds light on life 1500 years ago....

4,000-year-old Rock Art From A Previously Unknown Ancient Culture uncovered in Venezuela

4 July 2024

4 July 2024

An archaeological team in Venezuela has uncovered 20 ancient rock art sites in Canaima National Park in the southeastern part...

A 2900-year-old collection of fossilized shark teeth found in the City of David, one of Jerusalem’s oldest Parts

5 July 2021

5 July 2021

Scientists discovered an inexplicable collection of fossilized shark teeth at a 2900-year-old archaeological site in Jerusalem’s City of David, one...

Archaeologists unearths Unique Tomb of 6th Century BC Egyptian Commander at the archaeological area of ​​Abu Sir

24 July 2022

24 July 2022

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities announced on July 15 that a team of Czech archaeologists, while excavating near the Giza...

A Roman statue of the sea god Triton discovered near A2, London Road

13 September 2023

13 September 2023

Archaeologists have uncovered a Roman Statue of Triton during excavations in preparation for a housing development in Kent, England. Archaeologists...