A 3,500-year-old paving stone has been found in Turkey, the “ancestor” of Mediterranean mosaics

The discovery of a 3,500-year-old paving stone, considered the “ancestor” of Mediterranean mosaics, among the remains of a lost city in central Turkey, provides a better understanding of the daily life of the mysterious hititas of The Bronze Age.

This set of more than 3,000 stones, in natural beige, red and black tones, arranged in triangles and curves, was discovered among the remains of a 15th century BC Hittite temple. C., 700 years before the oldest known mosaics of ancient Greece.

“It is the ancestor of ancient mosaics, which are of course more sophisticated. What is here is undoubtedly the first attempt to use this technique “, he comments with enthusiasm Anacleto D’Agostino, director of excavations Usakli Hoyuk, near Yozgat.

Three hours from Ankara, Turkish and Italian archaeologists, using a shovel and brush, try to learn more about the Hittites, one of the most powerful kingdoms in ancient Anatolia.

“For the first time, these people felt the need to do something different, with geometric figures, joining the colors, instead of making a simple paving stone. Was the builder a genius? Or they asked him for a floor covering and he decided to do something never seen before “, To explain.

Located facing the mountain Kerkenes, the temple that housed this mosaic sketch was dedicated to Teshub, the storm god worshiped by the Hittites, who became the equivalent of Zeus among the Greeks.

“It is likely that the Hittite priests performed their rituals here looking at the top of Mount Kerkenes”, says the archaeologist.

Zippalanda’s treasures

In addition to the mosaic, archaeologists have found ceramics of a palace, which supports the hypothesis that Usakli Hoyuk is the lost city of Zippalanda (also called Ziplanda).

As of today we do not know exactly where Zippalanda was, place of worship dedicated to the storm god, cited in the Hittite tablets.

“Researchers agree that Usakli Hoyuk is one of the two most likely sites. Discovering the remains of the palace and its luxurious ceramics and stained glass windows, this probability is reinforced. We only need the definitive proof: a tablet with the name of the city “, says D’Agostino.

The people of Usakli Hoyuk brought cedars from Lebanon to build their temples and palaces but everything was swallowed up for a reason as yet inexplicable, towards the end of the Bronze Age.

It is believed that it could be a climate change accompanied by social unrest.

“Spiritual connection”

The Turks almost always have the Hittites in mind 3000 years after his disappearance.

A Hittite figure representing the sun is the symbol of Ankara. In the 1930s, the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, said that the Turks were the direct descendants of the Hittites.

“I don’t know if we can find a connection between the Hittites and the people who live here today. Millennia have passed and populations have changed. But I like to imagine that some kind of spiritual connection remains “said the archaeologist.

To honor this link, the excavation team reconstructed the Hittite culinary traditions, by testing old ceramic recipes made with the technique and clay used at the time.

“We came back to make Hittite pottery with the clay that we found in the town where the place is located: we cook dates and bread there as the Hittites ate. “, informs Valentina orsi, co-director of excavations. “And it was delicious “.

(Photos: Volkan NAKIBOGLU and Adem ALTAN / AFP)

(© Agence France-Presse)

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