1,900-year-old child footprints unearthed in 'City of Gladiators' in Türkiye

Child footprints, dating thousands of years, have been brought to light in excavations in the ancient city of Stratonikeia in western Türkiye.

Professor Bilal Sogut, head of the Stratonikeia excavation, told Anadolu Agency that teams have carried out “fruitful” works in the ancient city, located in the Yatagan district of Mugla province, in 2023.

Sogut said they have made impressive efforts in the centennial of the Republic of Türkiye, leading to numerous discoveries.

"We found footprints dating back nearly 1,900 years in the remains of a Roman period bath's upper cover. We even determined that these footprints, on the bricks used in the vault, belonged to three different two- to three-year-old children," noted Sogut.

"In our previous works, we found different depictions on roof tiles and wall bricks, but for the first time, we came across such a footprint. These footprints were coming from different directions, and they were not all in the same direction. This, for us, is a positive development," he added.

Stratonikeia is called the "City of Gladiators" and is listed on the UNESCO World Heritage temporary list.

It is also known as one of the world's largest marble cities. Excavation in the ancient city began in 1977.

The ancient city, significant for the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods, as well as the Anatolian principalities, Ottoman and Republic eras, houses significant artefacts.

2,800-year-old ivory ornament unearthed in Hattusa

A 2,800-year-old ivory ornament has also been discovered by archaeologists in northern Türkiye at the excavation site of Hattusa, the capital of the Hittites, one of the most ancient Anatolian civilizations.

The archaeological excavations in the present-day Bogazkale district of Corum province started in 1906 and have been led by Andreas Schachner on behalf of the German Archaeological Institute since 2006.

In the 117th year of the excavations, a piece of art that can provide insight into Iron Age art was unearthed on the northwest-facing slope of the Great Fortress area of the ancient city.

The piece, nearly 30 centimetres in length and 10 cm in width features a sphinx, a lion, and two trees of life etched on an ivory surface.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, excavation chief Schachner said the artefact was found in the Iron Age layer of the Hattusa dig site, which contains traces of many civilizations.

"Most likely, in its own period, it was added as a decoration to a wooden box or a piece of furniture made of wood. The work is broken on its right and left sides, but the upper and lower sides are intact. So, it can be inferred that it was actually longer," Schachner said.

"This work is a unique piece for Bogazkoy. For the first time, we are facing a work adorned with such an intense and beautifully crafted scene. Extensive excavations have been carried out in Bogazkoy for the Iron Age, but a work with such detail has not been encountered before," he said.

The artefact shines a light on artistic relationships in Bogazkoy in this era, extending towards southeastern Anatolia, as well in the southwestern direction, and Greece, according to Schachner.