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2,500-year-old Persian palace found in northern Turkey
2,500-year-old Persian palace found in northern Turkey
Archaeological excavations in Oluz Mound in Turkey's northern province of Amasya have unearthed a throne hall and an Apadana, which is a great hall, in a 2,500-year-old Persian palace. Click through for the story in photos...
Speaking to press members in the mound in the Göynücek district, Amasya Governor Osman Varol said the new discovery had created excitement among the excavation team.
“This is long-term work and is carried out under very hard conditions,” he said.
Istanbul University Archaeology Department Professor Şevket Dönmez, an official in the excavation, said they had discovered a Persian group had lived in the mound in 450 B.C., located 25 kilometers away from the Amasya city center.
A Persian city had begun to appear in the excavation field, said Dönmez.
“We see the new units of the city. We knew a road and mansion. We have also unearthed a temple of fire. These are the first in world history. For the first time this year, we have found a great hall and a throne hall. This is a very important period in Anatolian Iron Age history and Persian archaeology,” he said.
“These findings are unique ones. So far, we have six column headings. We do not have a certain plan yet but we will completely uncover them in the coming years. This year, we have found a bull statuette from the Hittite era. There is a very big Hittite city under the Persian city,” said the professor.
Dönmez said the works had been carried out by 12 academics, 10 archaeologists and 15 archaeology students.
“Before the excavations had begun, we did not know we would find such a Persian city or such a temple or great hall. We did not expect anything. We thought we would dig a regular Central Anatolian mound and find information on the culture in the Iron Age. But we found a very different world. Now, circles related to Anatolian archaeology have begun following Oluz Mound. I believe it will be a very important center that will change Anatolian religious history after Göbeklitepe,” he said.
Photos: Demirören News Agency, Anadolu Agency
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