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While excavating at an ancient rook in Turkey , archaeologist unearthed several soldierly artifacts : three bronze shields and a bronze helmet dating to 2,700 years ago , back when a mighty realm have it away for its metalwork thrived there .
The team found the armour within a temple complex at Ayanis Castle , a fortress near Lake Van in eastern Turkey that was built by the Kingdom of Urartu ( also know as the Kingdom of Van ) , which flourished between the ninth and 6th centuries B.C. The realm wasknown for its military mightas well as its art , peculiarly metalwork . The find of the shields and helmet was announced by Mehmet Ersoy , Turkey ’s minister of culture and tourism , onInstagramandX.
Restoration work taking place at Ayanis Castle, an Urartu castle that dates back around 2,700 years. Archaeologists excavating there recently found ancient armor.
The temple coordination compound was devoted to Haldi , the chief immortal of Urartu , Ersoy said in the translate Post . The martial artifacts would have been offering to Haldi .
Türkiye’nin dört bir yanında gerçekleştirilen ve sürelerini 12 aya çıkardığımız kazı çalışmalarında her geçen gün yeni bir nadide eser gün ışığına kavuşuyor . ⛏ ️Anadolu tarihinin kadim uygarlıklarından # Urartu Krallığı’nın boy büyük kenti olan ve günümüzden 2 bin 700 yıl … pic.twitter.com/26ON2wSlPNSeptember 7 , 2024
These find " would be big news program at any other site , but for Ayanis they are nothing out of the ordinary , " saidPaul Zimansky , a chronicle prof at Stony Brook University who lead archaeological study at Ayanis between 1997 and 2009 but was not regard with the recent discovery . " This castle is proving to be the deep Urartian situation in Turkey for many reason , not the least of which is the measure of bronze associated with the temple , " Zimansky severalise Live Science in an email .
" Similar shields and helmets have been found at Ayanis in the past , including a much more elaborate one in 1997 with the head of a lion seize to it , " Zimansky said .
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Atilla Batmaz , an archaeology prof at Ege University in Turkey who is not involve with the excavation , hold that these uncovering were not unusual for Ayanis Castle , take down that " a XII or more such shell and helmet " have been ascertain at the internet site in the past times .
Zimansky observe that a more authoritative find was made in 2023 but did n’t get attending in the democratic media . In that event , archaeologists found " a bronze cart or miniature chariot — belike a wagon for enthrall a cultic statue , " Zimansky said , mention that it " was really a megahit find . "
The current digging at Ayanis Castle is led byMehmet Isikli , an archeology prof at Ataturk University . He is in the field of operation and was n’t able to resolve questions by time of publishing .
