Urartian trade seal unearthed

A trade seal dating back to the Urartian era has been unearthed during archaeological excavations at the Tepeköy mound in the eastern province of Mu?'s Varto district.

Ahlat Museum Director Ziya K?l?nç said 18 artifacts had been unearthed in the excavations that ended on Dec. 29, 2014.

Among the artifacts was a stamp seal from the Urartian era, proving that the Urartians lived in the region during that era and carried out trade activities.

"We have also found bull and human figures. We plan to display them at the Ahlat Museum after their mechanical cleaning. We plan to form a Mu?-Varto corner with these artifacts," said K?l?nç.

K?l?nç said they were able to reach 2.5 meters deep in the excavations, but they were planning to dig 13 meters deep to find remnants from the Neolithic era.

In addition to artifacts from the Assyrian era, the team also found artifacts from the Ottoman and Byzantine eras, such as cooking pots.

Among the unearthed pieces are five pieces of a glass-made necklace. "Its rope has been decayed, but we have found five of the necklace pieces," K?l?nç said.

"The artifacts can be completed, and they will be displayed in the museum. Our region is rich in terms of Urartian artifacts. They lived in tribes at first and then became a state. At the time of the king Sarduri, they turned into an empire. We believe we will discover very important artifacts, especially at depths of lower than three meters deep," K?l?nç said.