A year of discovery: Türkiye's top archaeological finds of 2025

Archaeological work across Türkiye in 2025 yielded a stunning array of discoveries, cementing the country's role as a cradle of civilizations. The finds, spanning from the Paleolithic era to the medieval period, have provided unprecedented insights into early human symbolism, ancient urban life, and cultural transitions.

Neolithic Breakthroughs and Early Human Expression

The year's most globally recognized find came from Karahantepe, part of the Tas Tepeler (Stone Hills) project in Sanliurfa. A T-shaped pillar carved with a three-dimensional human face—a first for the region—was featured by Archaeology Magazine as a top discovery. Nearby, at Gobeklitepe, a rare human statue was found mounted on a wall. In Antalya, the Kizilin Cave yielded Anatolia's oldest known stone figurines, dated to roughly 19,000 years ago, revealing early symbolic expression.

Unearthing Classical, Roman, and Byzantine Life

Significant Classical and Roman-era finds were abundant. A temple of Zeus was finally located in Limyra after decades of search. Major urban centers like Laodicea revealed a 2,000-year-old assembly building, while Perge unveiled statues of Aphrodite and draped women. In Assos, a 2,200-year-old Hellenistic mosaic and a monumental tomb were uncovered. Remarkably, a sealed Abbasid-era amphora was recovered from a 1,100-year-old shipwreck off Kas, offering a snapshot of medieval Mediterranean trade.

Insights into Bronze Age, Hittite, and Urartian Civilizations

Excavations at Troy produced a 4,500-year-old golden brooch and sling stones linked to its legendary war. In central Anatolia, Buklukale revealed some of the region's earliest Hittite glass artifacts. The discovery of a wooden burial chamber at Gordion contained 88 metal objects, and a massive Urartian fortress was mapped on the Tirisin Plateau in Van. In eastern Türkiye, a 6,000-year-old temple at Tadim and 5,000-year-old carbonized barley at Iremir Mound highlighted early ritual and agricultural practices.