7,000-year-old animal-figured seals found at Türkiye’s Arslantepe Mound

By Orhan Yoldas

MALATYA, Türkiye (AA) - Archaeologists working at the UNESCO World Heritage site of Arslantepe Mound in Türkiye's eastern Malatya province found two 7,000-year-old animal-figured seals.

The Arslantepe Mound, located 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) southwest of the Euphrates River, has been home to humanity for thousands of years thanks to its high agricultural potential, wetlands and structure protected from the river's floods.

Francesca Balossi Restelli, the head of the excavation team, told Anadolu that they compared the styles of the seals in other regions to determine the date from their motifs.

“When we look at the style, I think that the date of these seals will be older, 5,000 BC,” Restelli said.

Noting that animal figures were carved on the seals, she said they are the oldest seals found so far at Arslantepe.

“There are definitely older ones because there are layers 10 meters (32 feet) below the hill. I am sure we will find older seals as we descend,” she added.

The Arslantepe Mound’s embankment is 30 meters (98 feet) high, and the mound was inhabited between 5000 BC and 11th century AD.

At the mound site, more than 2,000 stamp seals, a statue of King Tarhunza and two late Hittite period lion statues have been found.

The temple of the mound dates from 3600-3500 BC.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar