4 May 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

In the excavations at Tepecik Mound in Aydın, Türkiye, a palace-like structure dating back to the 13th century BCE was discovered

Excavations at Tepecik Mound in the Çine district of Aydın province, located in the western part of Turkey, revealed a structure believed to have been used as a palace or temple in the 13th century BCE, along with storage jars for grain.

Çine Tepecik is located 5 km west of the town Çine in the province of Aydın. The settlement mound lies 600 m east from the present stream course of the Çine creek (Çine Çayı = the ancient river Marsyas) and 3 km southwest of the village Karakollar. This valley forms a strategic link to the Bay of Gökova and its natural ports.

Excavations at Tepecik Mound, which is located among olive trees and cornfields on the Çine Plain, have been carried out under the presidency of Professor Sevinç Günel of Hacettepe University’s archaeology department since 2004.

Three towers, a room containing items used by the rulers of the period for official visits, and obsidian used in tool making were discovered as part of the 17-year excavations at the archaeological site, which was known as a trade center in the past. Archaeologists also discovered a ceramic-tiled oven in the mound in 2021.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), excavation head Günel said that the region hosted settlements back-to-back for 7,500 years.

Günel stated that they excavated the settlement and cultural layers of the 2000s BC in the mound and that they found remains of architecture from the Late Bronze Age during the work in the south of the settlement.

“The mound has a long-term settlement process and we are currently excavating the settlement culture layer of the second millennium BC. In this area, architectural remains from the 13th century BC (Late Bronze Age) surprised us with a magnificent wall structure and finds,” she said.

“Unlike previous years, the structure is quite thick, has a splendid wall knitting technique, and is probably very large. According to our first predictions, it has an architecture that I can say belongs to a public building. Large jars associated with this structure were identified. These storage jars function completely as a warehouse. Therefore, I can say that we are currently working on a storage area belonging to a magnificent public structure,” she added.

Photo: Ferdi Uzun/AA

Stating that the building where the jars are located has different architectural features, Günel stated that structure reminds the remains of a building that has a special meaning such as a palace or temple architecture in Pre Asian archaeology, but it is too early to speak. She stated that he will be able to speak more precisely when the work progresses and that it is more correct to define the building as a public building for now.

Pointing out that Tepecik was a trade center for obsidian and agricultural products used in the making of tools and weapons as a result of the excavations carried out in previous years, Günel noted that this year’s discoveries of the jars also suggest a storage system under local administration and point to a vibrant agricultural economy.

The remains inside the jars, which are thought to belong to the period of Arzava or Mira Kingdom, a country affiliated to the Hittite Kingdom in 1350-1300 BC, will be subjected to archaeobotanical examination.

Cover Photo: Ferdi Uzun / AA

Related Articles

The inner wall was reached during the excavations of the tomb of the poet Aratos in the Soli Pompeiopolis Ancient City

13 August 2021

13 August 2021

The inner wall was reached during the excavations of the tomb of Aratos, the famous poet and astronomer of the...

Receding waters in Lake Van reveal rock-cut Urartian port

22 September 2022

22 September 2022

Located in the eastern province of Van in Turkey, the falling water level of Lake Van, with the decrease in...

World-first recreation of ancient Egyptian garden open

20 May 2022

20 May 2022

Have you ever wondered what an ancient Egyptian garden was like?  This is your opportunity to find out! The first...

A Big, Round, 4,000-Year-Old Stone Building Discovered on a Cretan Hilltop

12 June 2024

12 June 2024

During excavations for an airport on Greece’s largest island of Crete, a large circular monument dating back 4000 years was...

Remains of a Roman stylobate found in Montenegro

19 July 2023

19 July 2023

In ancient Rhizon (Risan) in Montenegro, remains of a Roman stylobate (a shared base for multiple columns) were uncovered. In...

A cemetery belonging to 54 children was found during the excavation in the old quarry in Diyarbakır, Türkiye

4 January 2024

4 January 2024

During the archaeological excavation carried out in the area considered to be an old quarry in the Kulp district of...

After 150 years, Schliemann’s destruction in Troy was repaired

8 August 2021

8 August 2021

Heinrich Schliemann, a German businessman, excavated the ancient city of Troy in northwest Canakkale province 150 years ago. Archaeologists are...

A Roman copper-alloy tiny tortoise figurine found in Suffolk

3 December 2023

3 December 2023

In July last year, a small Roman copper alloy tortoise or turtle figurine was discovered by metal detectors near the...

Ancient objects found in Jerusalem could be hand grenades used 1000 years ago, New study says

27 April 2022

27 April 2022

New analysis into the residue inside ancient ceramic pots from 11th–12th century Jerusalem has found that they were potentially used...

Remarkable Roman mosaic discovered near London Bridge in Southwark

22 February 2022

22 February 2022

A team of archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology have announced the discovery well-preserved Roman mosaic that may have...

The ability to produce ceramic vessels came to Europe via Siberia and the Caspian Sea region

6 January 2023

6 January 2023

A new study suggests that the knowledge for making ceramic vessels came to Europe from the Middle East and the...

2-Meter-Long Stone Block Found at 12,000-Year-Old Boncuklu Tarla Site in Southeastern Türkiye

18 December 2024

18 December 2024

A remarkable 2-meter by 20-centimeter processed stone block was discovered during the archaeological excavations at Boncuklu Tarla (Beaded Field), which...

A center on the Anatolian Mesopotamian trade route; Tavsanli Mound

24 October 2021

24 October 2021

Excavations at Tavşanlı mound, which is known to be the first settlement in Western Anatolia during the Bronze Age, continue....

A 2,000-year-old ancient “mirror” throws light on aristocratic life in China

17 May 2022

17 May 2022

Archeologists in Beijing have successfully reconstructed a 2,000-year-ago dressing mirror once cherished by the high nobility during the Han Dynasty....

The World’s oldest and first swords ever discovered

11 March 2023

11 March 2023

The 5,000-year-old swords found 43 years ago during the excavations in the old mud-brick palace structure in Malatya Arslantepe Mound...