4,000-Year-Old 'Sevgi Çiçeği' Seeds Discovered During Külhöyük Excavations

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Excavations at Külhöyük in Ankara have unearthed 4,000-year-old cornflower seeds and a 66-million-year-old marine fossil within a Hittite-era structure.

4,000-Year-Old 'Sevgi Çiçeği' Seeds Discovered During Külhöyük Excavations
Image credit: Gzt

Excavations at Külhöyük in the Gölbaşı district of Ankara have yielded exciting findings that shed light on both the cultural and natural history of Anatolia. At Külhöyük, a Hatti and Hittite settlement with a history spanning approximately 5,000 years, seeds of the 'sevgi çiçeği' (Centaurea tchihatcheffii) were identified inside a circular vessel found within a Hittite-period structure [1].

New Clues Regarding Hittite Medicine

Analyzed at the Hacettepe University Archaeobotany laboratories, the seeds were determined to be the oldest known specimens of this plant species ever found. Associate Professor Derya Yılmaz Tekin, the Head of Excavations, noted that Hittite cuneiform documents record the use of various plants for medicinal purposes, suggesting that these seeds may have been utilized within the scope of Hittite medical and pharmaceutical practices [2]. The research team is preparing to launch a new scientific study to decipher the relationship between the find context and other botanical remains [3].

A 66-Million-Year-Old Guest in the Settlement

Another surprising discovery during the excavations was a 66-million-year-old marine fossil recovered from the archaeological strata. The fossil, belonging to a species of snail scientifically known as 'Gastropoda,' is evaluated to be a remnant of the Tethys Ocean, which covered Central Anatolia millions of years ago. Archaeologists believe this geological object was found and intentionally brought to the settlement by the inhabitants of Külhöyük. This is considered an indication of the interest ancient people took in curious objects found in nature.

These data, demonstrating that the 'sevgi çiçeği'—an endemic species of the region—existed in the same geography 4,000 years ago and likely held cultural value, once again prove how closely Ankara's natural history and archaeological heritage are intertwined.

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Image & News Source: Gzt / gzt.com