New documentary explores history of Turkey's 7,000-year-old Arslantepe Mound

By Mehmet Tosun

ANKARA (AA) – A new documentary tells the story of Turkey’s mysterious 7,000-year-old Arslantepe Mound, an ancient structure in Malatya, eastern Turkey which was recently added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Permanent List.

According to Turkey’s Communications Directorate, the bilingual Turkish-English documentary showcases the country’s rich culture and chronicles the process of bringing the historic mound to light and adding it to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The documentary explores the historical background in which the aristocracy arose and the first state structure formed, as well as significant artifacts unearthed excavated from the mound.

The documentary will be aired on state broadcaster TRT Belgesel (documentary channel) and posted on the directorate's social media accounts.

About the documentary, directorate head Fahrettin Altun said that over the course of millennia, Turkey’s vast Anatolian region has been home to countless civilizations and peoples.

"With our documentary, we aim to introduce Arslantepe Mound to the whole world, to boost its profile and awareness, and to contribute to Turkey's cultural tourism," Altun said, stressing that Anatolia’s rich ancient history makes it deserving of the title "humanity’s ancient heritage.”

- Weapons, combat, early state

This July, the ancient mound was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. The site was occupied from at least the sixth millennium BC until the late Roman era, said UNESCO, citing archaeological evidence.

“The earliest layers of the Early Uruk period are characterized by adobe houses from the first half of the 4th millennium BCE.”

“The site illustrates the processes which led to the emergence of a State society in the Near East and a sophisticated bureaucratic system that predates writing,” the UN agency added.

“Exceptional metal objects and weapons have been excavated at the site, among them the earliest swords so far known in the world, which suggests the beginning of forms of organized combat as the prerogative of an elite, who exhibited them as instruments of their new political power.”