17 June 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

First in Anatolian Archaeology, a 2,600-year-old Sacred Room and Stone Symbolizing the Goddess Kubaba Discovered at Oluz Höyük

Archaeologists have discovered a sacred room and stone from the Phrygian period, dating back 2,600 years, during excavations at the Oluz Höyük settlement mound in the village of Toklucak in Türkiye’s Black Sea province of Amasya.

Professor Şevket Dönmez, who is an academic at Istanbul University’s Archaeology Department and who leads the excavations described the find as a first in Anatolian archaeology, highlighting the significance of uncovering a sacred stone linked to the goddess Kubaba.

“Discovering a sacred room and its associated sacred stone marks a first-ever occurrence in the field of Anatolian archaeology,” he stated.

The discovery, including a 20-square-meter structure and altars dedicated to Kubaba, aligns with historical accounts of a black stone representing the goddess.

“Historical texts describe a black stone symbolizing the goddess Kubaba. Finding a sacred stone in a square structure dedicated to her in Central Anatolia is of profound significance in Anatolian archaeology. This discovery brings to life the written sources, providing tangible evidence of the relationship between the sacred stone and the mother goddess. This connection dates back to the 6th century B.C.,” Professor Donmez explained.

A 2,600-year-old sacred stone from the Phrygian period, uncovered during excavations at Oluz Hoyuk. Photo: IHA

“We believe that more discoveries will emerge from this sacred space. It may even represent a transition to monotheism in Anatolia.”

Oluzhöyük the excavations, where they came across a religious complex such as the 2,500-year-old Persian road, the firehouses (Ateşgede) found for the first time in Anatolia, and a multi-column temple, had exciting results every year.

Oluz Höyük made us distinguish some evidence regarding Anatolian Iron Age archaeology and ancient history that we haven’t noticed until today.

Oluz Höyük, located 25 kilometers west of Amasya, is an ancient city that has rich findings of religious structuring. During the excavations that have been going on for 17 years, 10 settlement layers were encountered, and each of them had a religious structure.

You can read our article about the subject: Evidence of the Birth of Archaic Monotheism in Anatolia found at Oluz Höyük, “Havangah prayer at Oluz Höyük”.

The project, supported by Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism and local institutions, aims to restore the site and open it to tourism, potentially uncovering more elements of this sacred complex.

Related Articles

1900 years old a rare mosaic was discovered in Durrës, Albania

6 November 2023

6 November 2023 1

In the port city of Durrës, on the Adriatic Sea in western Albania, a unique mosaic dating back 1900 years...

Artificial intelligence is Detecting New Archaeological Sites in the Arabian desert

5 October 2024

5 October 2024

A team of researchers at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi has developed a machine-learning algorithm to help them trawl vast...

Possible Location of Medieval Knight Zbylut’s Manor Identified Alongside Discovery of Unknown Burial Crypts

26 April 2025

26 April 2025

In a remarkable archaeological find, researchers have uncovered previously unknown burial crypts within the Gothic Church of St. James the...

27,000-year-old Pendants made from giant sloths suggest earlier arrival of people in the Americas

16 July 2023

16 July 2023

Archaeologists discovered three pendants made from the bony material of an extinct giant sloth in a rock shelter in central...

Intact Bodies of Catalan Nobles Discovered in Santes Creus Monastery

11 March 2024

11 March 2024

A team of archaeologists and anthropologists found the human remains of a dozen members of the Catalan nobility dating back...

1,500-year-old baptistery found in Kadı Castle-Anaia Mound in western Turkey

3 December 2021

3 December 2021

A baptistery, estimated to have been built in the 5th century AD, was unearthed in the Kadı Castle-Anaia Mound in...

4,000-year-old cylinder seal found in Blaundos excavations

29 September 2022

29 September 2022

A 4,000-year-old cylinder seal was found during the excavations of the ancient city of Blaundus (or Blaundos, as it is...

The Ground Zero of History: Göbeklitepe Site Targets 1M Visitors in 2021

3 April 2021

3 April 2021

Göbeklitepe, which is called “the zero point of human history” and “The place where civilization was born’’, is located takes...

A Unique Discovery in Europe: Ancient Stone Circles Cover 2,800-Year-Old Graves of Children in Norway

29 June 2024

29 June 2024

Archaeologists from the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo discovered an unknown burial site in a quarry near Fredrikstad, in...

1.5 tons of bronze coins found in east China

19 December 2022

19 December 2022

An ancient coin hoard containing 1.5 tonnes of coins from the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties has been discovered...

From Tengri to Teshub: Sacred Yada Stone and Elemental Power in Ancient Anatolia

19 May 2025

19 May 2025

From the windswept steppes of Central Asia to the sacred temples of Anatolia, ancient civilizations shared a powerful belief: that...

A Gold Belt Weighing 432 Grams Unearthed During Excavations in Ani Ruins is on Display

2 July 2024

2 July 2024

The gold belt discovered 22 years ago during excavations in the ancient city of Ani, often referred to as the...

A Previously Unknown Bronze Age Settlement Discovered in Switzerland

18 February 2024

18 February 2024

In advance of a construction project in Heimberg, the Archaeological Service of the Canton of Bern carried out a rescue...

A 500-year-old mural linked to an Aztec god was found under layers of paint in Mexican Church

15 October 2022

15 October 2022

A mural of an Aztec rabbit God of alcohol is not something anyone expects to see inside a church, but...

A Roman bridge from the Republican era was discovered on Via Tiburtina

27 February 2022

27 February 2022

The remains of a rare Republican-era bridge have been discovered on the 12th kilometer of the Via Tiburtina, the ancient...