Archaeologists in Turkey have made an exciting discovery, unearthing a 2,800-year-old elephant tusk with exquisite carvings that likely belonged to the "central authority" during the Iron Age.
The ivory product amazes with its unique beauty. It depicts the mythical sphinx - a semblance of a human head on the body of a winged lion, as well as a real lion and two tall plants, perhaps symbolizing the mythical "tree of life". Although this work of art dates from the Iron Age, it was found in an archaeological layer located near a much older city - the abandoned bronze capital of Hattuza.
Andreas Schachner, an archaeologist from the German Archaeological Institute who has led excavations at Hattuza since 2006, emphasizes that the artifact demonstrates the importance of the Iron Age at the site. This period was marked as the Late Bronze Age, during which the Hittites abandoned the city in 1200 BC. e.
The artifact was found in the soil layer of an Iron Age settlement that was located on top of the Hittite city of Hattusa.
“You can say that this place has ceased to be a small town, but perhaps has become a center of power,” Schachner said in an interview with Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency.
The artifact itself measures approximately 12 inches (30 centimeters) long and 4 inches (10 centimeters) wide. Schachner speculates that the tusk could have been part of the furniture : "Most likely, it was added as an ornament to a wooden box or wooden furniture at one time."
The ivory is carved with images of the mythical sphinx and lion, as well as two tall plants that may represent the mythical “tree of life.”
“This is the first time we have come across a work adorned with such a rich, beautifully depicted scene ,” says Schachner. "Extensive excavation has been carried out at Iron Age levels in this region, but we have not encountered such a detailed artefact before."
Schachner also emphasizes that the symbols carved into the fragment may reveal relationships between the settlement and other contemporary cultures. Once scientific research on the ivory tusk is completed, it will be displayed in a local museum.
This discovery will be a unique contribution to understanding the cultural and historical aspects of life in this region during the Iron Age. Additional analyzes await us ahead, which may reveal new secrets of the antiquity and richness of the cultural heritage of this amazing corner of Turkey.
Source: aa.com.tr; livescience.com.
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