18 July 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Structures in Turkey’s Panaztepe pointing out a 5,000-year-old settlement found

In the 5000-year-old Panaztepe settlement located in the Menemen district of Izmir, structures thought to belong to the oldest period of the city were found.

It is estimated that Panaztepe was used as a settlement area from 3000 BC to the Byzantine period. Although it is located 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) inland today, it is believed to have been an island settlement and port city during the Bronze Age. New discoveries have increased the historical importance of this ancient site.

According to Dr. Ümit Çayır of Sivas Cumhuriyet University’s Archaeology Department, who is also the head of the archaeological excavations in Panaztepe, the site was a significant center, especially during the year 2000 B.C., with connections stretching to the Eastern Mediterranean, western Aegean, and even the Caucasus region, and was located at the intersection of the Mycenaean civilization in the west and Hittite civilization in the east.

Noting that his team was examining the era’s cultural structure via the dig, Çayır stated that they had discovered strata of habitation going back to the Early Bronze Age and classical times.

Although Panaztepe is 10 km inland today, it is thought to be the most important port city of the period. photo AA
Although Panaztepe is 10 km inland today, it is thought to be the most important port city of the period. photo AA

Although the scientific community has studied the remains of Panaztepe’s early Bronze Age, according to Çayır, the architectural evidence that Panaztepe was a settlement before that period is a new discovery.

According to Dr. ümit Çayır, the architectural evidence indicating that Panaztepe was a settlement before that time period is a new discovery.
According to Dr. ümit Çayır, the architectural evidence indicating that Panaztepe was a settlement before that time period is a new discovery. Photo: AA

“We can say that we found the earliest-known settlement of Panaztepe. In other words, this is a settlement area dating back approximately 5,000 years. We plan to continue our work in the newly excavated area, in the acropolis and its foothills in Panaztepe,” he said.

He said the unearthing of architectural remains dating to the Early Bronze Age could also add a new dimension to the cultural history of the region. He also said the remains of walls of the period’s houses and stone fishing net weights discovered along with the ceramic finds show that it was once a port city. “Preliminary reports of geographical studies conducted in the region and Panaztepe also support this,” he added.

Çayır added that they hope to encounter important results for understanding the size and quality of the settlements belonging to these periods in the coming years.

Related Articles

Lost sketches by Leonardo Da Vinci show that he understood gravity long before Newton

19 February 2023

19 February 2023

Leonardo da Vinci’s centuries-old sketches show that he may have understood key aspects of gravity long before Galileo, Newton, and...

Oldest Recorded Gynecological Treatment

7 February 2021

7 February 2021

In their latest research, scientists have come across a treatment practice in a mummy from 4000 years ago, as written...

The 3,000-Year-Old Ancient City is Under Danger

8 February 2021

8 February 2021

For the port planned to be built in Izmir’s Aliağa district, a part of the 3,000-year-old ancient city is in...

Rock tombs dating back 1,800 years have been discovered in Turkey’s ancient city of Blaundus

1 October 2021

1 October 2021

In the ancient city of Blaundus, located in the Ulubey neighborhood of the western Anatolian city of Uşak, 400 rock-cut...

A Batavian Cavalry Mask was found on the Battlefield of Roman Comrades

22 July 2022

22 July 2022

Archaeologists have discovered that a rusty corroded plate they found 4 years ago at an old battlefield in the city...

Declassified CIA Satellite Spy Program Reveals Lost Ancient Roman Forts

26 October 2023

26 October 2023

Archaeologists have discovered “massive” ancient Roman forts that redraw the borders of the ancient empire using images from a declassified...

Archaeologists have discovered the origins a Herefordshire Stone Age monument

22 August 2021

22 August 2021

Archaeologists have finally uncovered the mysterious origins of Arthur’s Stone, named after the mysterious legends of King Arthur, who inspired...

Ice Age Cave Entrance that Nobody has Entered for 16,000 Years found in Germany

4 August 2023

4 August 2023

Researchers report they have discovered the official entrance to an Ice Age cave near Engen, Germany, that nobody has entered...

Evidence of a 1500-year-old Byzantine church found on the beach of Ashdod, Israel

22 February 2022

22 February 2022

Recent rain in Israel has unearthed the remains of a marble pillar dating to around 1,500 years ago on a...

Tragurium Twins: A Rare Roman Archaeological Discovery in Croatia

12 March 2025

12 March 2025

Recent archaeological excavations in Croatia have unearthed a remarkable and heart-wrenching discovery: the remains of twin babies interred together in...

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...

Archaeologists find an Anglo-Saxon church at Stoke Mandeville excavation site

13 September 2021

13 September 2021

Archaeologists working on the HS2 project found the remains of an Anglo-Saxon church during their excavations at the former St...

3,000-Year-Old Lost Anatolian language ‘Kalašma’ deciphered

5 July 2024

5 July 2024

In 2023 excavation site at the foot of Ambarlikaya in Boğazköy-Hattusha in Turkey, a cuneiform tablet with a previously unknown...

Discovery of 1,500-Year-Old Mosaic at Ancient City of Dara in Mardin, Türkiye

7 July 2025

7 July 2025

According to information provided by Anadolu Agency, archaeologists have recently uncovered a remarkably well-preserved 1,500-year-old mosaic decorated with drop and...

Archaeologists find 4 Umayyad epigraphs in the ancient city Knidos

24 May 2022

24 May 2022

Archaeological excavations in the ancient city of Knidos connected to Datça District of Muğla province in western Turkey have unearthed...