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While excavating at an ancient castle in Turkey , archaeologists unearthed several warriorlike artifacts : three bronze shields and a bronze helmet dating to 2,700 years ago , back when a mighty kingdom known for its metalwork prosper there .
The team find the armor within a temple complex at Ayanis Castle , a fortress near Lake Van in eastern Turkey that was built by the Kingdom of Urartu ( also known as the Kingdom of Van ) , which thrive between the 9th and sixth centuries B.C. The realm wasknown for its military mightas well as its artistic creation , especially metalwork . The find of the shields and helmet was announced by Mehmet Ersoy , Turkey ’s minister of finish 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 synagogue complex was devoted to Haldi , the chief god of Urartu , Ersoy said in the translate posts . The martial artefact 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 son büyük kenti olan ve günümüzden 2 bin 700 yıl … pic.twitter.com/26ON2wSlPNSeptember 7 , 2024
These finds " would be big news at any other web site , but for Ayanis they are nothing out of the ordinary , " saidPaul Zimansky , a chronicle prof at Stony Brook University who direct archeological workplace at Ayanis between 1997 and 2009 but was not involved with the recent discovery . " This castle is prove to be the richest Urartian site in Turkey for many reasons , not the least of which is the measure of bronzes colligate with the synagogue , " Zimansky told Live Science in an electronic mail .
" interchangeable shield and helmet have been find at Ayanis in the past , include a much more elaborate one in 1997 with the straits of a Leo attach to it , " Zimansky say .
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Atilla Batmaz , an archaeology prof at Ege University in Turkey who is not involved with the excavation , agreed that these finds were not strange for Ayanis Castle , noting that " a twelve or more such shell and helmets " have been found at the site in the past .
Zimansky observe that a more important find was made in 2023 but did n’t get attending in the pop media . In that case , archaeologists found " a bronze cart or miniature chariot — in all likelihood a wagon for transporting a cultic statue , " Zimansky suppose , noting that it " was really a blockbuster breakthrough . "
The current excavation at Ayanis Castle is lead byMehmet Isikli , an archeology professor at Ataturk University . He is in the discipline and was n’t able to resolve question by time of publication .
