Archaeology world excited about Gölmarmara findings

An international archaeology team working in Manisa?s Gölmarmara lake basin is excited about new findings in the area including a massive castle and Bronze Age settlement The latest findings discovered during excavations on Kaymakç? Hill in Manisa?s Gölmarmara Lake basin have aroused excitement in the archaeological world, including one that even overshadow the famous city of Troy.

?This area is four times larger than the ancient site of Troy in Çanakkale and the largest late Bronze Age settlement that has been found in the Aegean region. When the work is done, we will take a very significant step toward promoting Manisa to the world,? said Ya?ar University academic Professor Sinan Ünlüsoy, the deputy head of the Kaymakç? Archaeology Project.

Excavations conducted by an excavation team formed by 42 archaeologists from leading U.S., European and Turkish universities are continuing to shed light on the unknown about the late Bronze Age (1600-1200 B.C.).

The project is being headed by Koç University Archaeology and History of Art Department members Christopher H. Roosevelt and Christina Luke. 

A big castle, where the ancestors of the Lydians lived, was recently discovered in Gölmarmara?s Hac?evler neighborhood by the international team. The settlement, which is mentioned in the sources of the Hittite Empire, is located on a hill known as Kaymakç?. 

For the excavation work, ?zmir?s Ya?ar University is providing educational support for students from various Turkish universities. 

?Manisa?s Salihli district and its vicinity, which is a historical treasure, offer golden opportunities for archaeologists. While excavations have been continuing in Sardis, the capital of the Lydian Empire, other works in...