Researchers conducting excavations in Yeşilova
Höyüğü, the oldest known area of human settlement in İzmir, have
announced the discovery of fingerprints belonging to former residents of
the area that are more than eight millennia old.
“We have discovered fingerprints that go back 8,500 years [to the
Neolithic era]. Those fingerprints are thought to belong to children and
women,” Zafer Derin, the scholar leading the excavation, recently told
Anatolia news agency, adding that it was the first discovery of its type
in the area.
The team discovered the fingerprints from clay pots. “Ancient people
made the clay pots with other ingredients and thanks to those
ingredients – which we have not yet discovered – the fingerprints reveal
themselves,” said Derin, but added that a fire had badly damaged the
pots.
The team also discovered that the people left the area after the fire occurred, Derin said.
Noting that the soil in the area also showed that people used the
area for agriculture, Derin said: “Ancient people also used this soil to
make clay pots, and we have discovered that more than two people were
involved in making clay from the fingerprints.”
Learning about ancient culture
Speaking generally about the work at Yeşilova Höyüğü, Derin said:
“Each year during the excavation works, we discover and find new
information. This year we tried to reveal a new culture that lived in
this area.”
The dig leader also said his team had discovered other tools
belonging to the Neolithic era, as well as artifacts that were used for
ceremonies.
The Neolithic society also used oil lamps that were made from animal
skins, according to the head of the excavation. “After this period of
time, the usage of oil lamps spread out,” said Derin.
Derin also said the bull figure that the ancient people drew on their
artifacts symbolized man. “The bull is a cult figure,” said Derin,
noting that it also symbolized a patriarchal figure in the society.
At the same time, the bull also symbolized fertility, said Derin,
adding that the society that lived during the Neolithic age did not use
this figure everywhere but only in certain places.
Noting that the discovery of the bull figure was a very important
development for the excavation works in the area, Derin said: “Ancient
people used this figure in some of the pots and vessels that they used.
This is an important discovery for our team.”
Noting that the team still was still unsure as to how people used to
live during the Neolithic age in Yeşilova, Derin said, “We have learned
that people turned some of the rooms in their home into places of
worship.”
The team is now set to transport its recent findings to a museum, Derin said.
/Hurriyet Daily News/