Archaeologists in central Türkiye have unearthed traces of permanent settlement dating back at least 9,300 years, the head of the dig site has said.
“We can say that this is the oldest settlement in the borders of Nigde province,” archaeologist Semra Balci, who leads the excavation team at the Sircalitepe Mound, said on Friday.
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 used for ornamental purposes.
She added that two samples that they found had been radiocarbon dated, revealing that they were 9,600-9,300 years old.
Initial surface surveys conducted at the Sircalitepe Mound, located near sources of obsidian in the volcanic Cappadocia region, uncovered an obsidian working area, as well as the bone and stone tools.
With this year’s dig season over, Balci said she and her team would continue to analyse their findings in artifacts and new architectural field data in their workshops.
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.”
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