3,700-year-old human brain discovered in Kütahya

In an excavation at a "heart-shaped" mound in the Tavşanlı district of Kütahya, a 3,700-year-old human brain and skin remains, stated to belong to two deceased individuals, were discovered.

The Tavşanlı Höyük excavations, which began in 2021, continue to yield surprising results. The route of the mound excavations, which promote the district both domestically and internationally, has this time extended to Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland.

“LEFT ITS MARK ON THE EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS MEETING”

Tavşanlı Höyük left its mark on the 29th meeting of the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA), which is considered one of the most important archaeology meetings in the world. There were 5 presentations from Turkey at the meeting, where hundreds of papers related to world archaeology were presented. Tavşanlı Höyük was brought to the agenda in two of them.

Prof. Dr. Yılmaz Selim Erdal’s closing speech was devoted to the daily excavation results regarding war and violence at Tavşanlı Höyük. The presentation titled "Tavşanlı Höyük, A large Bronze Age town in Inland Western Anatolia," prepared by Tavşanlı Höyük Excavation Director Prof. Dr. Erkan Fidan and Deputy Excavation Director Nihan Naiboğlu, was presented by Dr. Naiboğlu. The paper, which received great attention, was watched with excitement at times.

OLDEST HUMAN SKELETONS FOUND

With a history dating back 8,000 years, Tavşanlı Höyük is the oldest settlement in Kütahya. This year's excavations were carried out in layers dating back 3,700 to 4,000 years. The biggest surprise awaiting the archaeologists was the discovery of the remains of two people who died after being trapped under the collapsed rubble of houses. These people are significant as they are the oldest known humans of Tavşanlı to date. The excavation team believes that they will make more discoveries at the mound in the coming years with increased support.

“THEY PERISHED UNDER THE COLLAPSED RUBBLE”

Remains of a young male individual aged 15-18 and a male aged 40-45 were found under house rubble and vessels that appeared to have fallen from a wooden shelf in the collapsed room. While the older individual could not escape to a place in the middle of the room, the young individual was trapped under the collapsing rubble just as he was about to exit through the door. It is understood that the people in this structure, located on the northeastern edge of the city—which was very vulnerable to attack—could not escape their homes during what was likely a sudden attack that destroyed the city. Since all the weapons found in the excavations to date, such as daggers, spearheads, and arrowheads, also come from this destruction layer, it was emphasized in the report that another great power had besieged and destroyed the city.

"A FIRST AND UNIQUE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXAMPLE”

However, the surprises that excited the archaeologists and the scientific world were not limited to these. The skeletons, excavated and examined by Hacettepe University Department Chair Prof. Dr. Yılmaz Selim Erdal, were exposed to very high heat and intense fire. For this reason, in one of these human remains, the brain inside the skull was preserved through carbonization and has survived to the present day. But there is another discovery described as more important in the presentation held in Ireland. Pieces of the other young individual's own skin, which had also survived to the present day in a carbonized state, were found between the chest and abdomen. Although a very small number of brain remains have been found in excavations in Anatolia to date, it was underlined that this human skin is truly very important as it is the first and only example found in archaeological periods in Turkey.

“THE GOAL IS TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY”

These human communities, who lived on these lands thousands of years before Islam and the arrival of the Turks in Anatolia, chose Tavşanlı and built a very large city. Tavşanlı's fertile lands, the copper mines in the vicinity, and the rich forest areas gave them the chance to live in this area for thousands of years. Since no written documents have been found yet, the name of the city is unknown. However, one of the biggest goals of the excavation team is to change the course of history from Tavşanlı by finding written documents such as clay tablets in the excavations. Tavşanlı Höyük, where excavation work is carried out every year between May and October, is open to all citizens during working hours.

News Source: 12punto