9,600-Year-Old Permament Settlement And Daily Tools Discovered In Turkey

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - Archaeologists in central Turkey report they have come across traces of permanent settlement dating back at least 9,300 years.

"We can say that this is the oldest settlement in the borders of Nigde province," said archeologist Semra Balci, who leads the excavation team at the Sircalitepe Mound.

Credit: Anadolu Agency

Balci, of Istanbul University, said her team had found bone and obsidian tools used in daily settled life, along with beads and other objects thought to be for ornamental purposes.

She added that they found two samples had been radiocarbon dated, revealing that they were 9,600-9,300 years old.

Initial surface surveys at the Sircalitepe Mound, located near obsidian sources in the volcanic Cappadocia region, uncovered an obsidian working area and bone and stone tools.  Cappadocia in Turkey is well-known for its amazing Moon-like landscape, secret underground cities, cave churches and houses carved in the rocks. As stated on AncientPages.com, one of the most remarkable ancient structures found in Cappadocia is the Selime Cathedral, the earliest Christians constructed in Anatolia to perform their religious ceremonies in secret.
It is believed that this was the place where the first vocal religious ceremony was held by Christians 1,700 years ago.

Facing Roman pressure in 66 A.D., the first Christians escaped to various parts of Anatolia, including the Cappadocia region. They constructed a huge monastery in Selime Cathedral to conduct religious ceremonies secretly, which was also used against enemies.

The recent discovery of a several thousand-year-old settlement in the region will shed more light on the past.

As reported by the Anadolu Agency, "with this year's dig season over, Balci said she and her team would continue to analyze their findings in artifacts and new architectural field data in their workshops.

See also: More Archaeology News

Noting that the dig had also yielded specimens of oval arrowheads, she said: "Another important point is that no other site has so far been excavated with an obsidian working area and settlement together."

Written by Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com Staff Writer