With over 3,000 unique artifacts ranging from statues to weapons and ceramics dating back to before Christ, archaeological excavations at the 2,300-year-old site Kurul Castle in Türkiye's Black Sea province of Ordu are marking their 13th year with new discoveries.
A general view of the excavation of Kurul Castle in the Black Sea province of Ordu, Türkiye, Sept. 22, 2022.
Kurul is believed to be Mithridates VI's castle and was a significant settlement. Mithridatic kings came to the mid-Black Sea region after the Iron Age, and Mithridates VI the Great was the most successful Mithridatic king, extending the empire to the Aegean coast and the northern edge of the Black Sea.
An aerial view of the excavation of Kurul Castle in the Black Sea province of Ordu, Türkiye, Sept. 22, 2022.
Thousands of artifacts, such as iron tools, ceramics, bowls, pots, spears and arrowheads, axes, daggers, weapons, ornaments, a blacksmith's anvil and cubes, as well as sculptures, have been unearthed. One of the team's most impressive finds is the 2,100-year-old statue of the goddess Cybele from the sixth Mithridatic period.
The statue of the goddess Cybele is on display at the archaeological dig in Kurul Castle, Ordu, northern Türkiye.
The excavations are being carried out by a team from Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University's Faculty of Letters and headed by the university's archaeology department head, professor Süleyman Yücel Şenyurt.
Archaeologists work at the 2,100-year-old Kurul Castle site in northern Türkiye's Ordu province, Sept. 22, 2022.
"Since 2010, many works have been uncovered. From what we've deciphered from the architectural remains, this place was abandoned after the Roman invasion. We have found all kinds of artifacts, such as cubes, ceramics and metal. This was a city that lived 2,100 years ago that was suddenly destroyed and remained as it is. Since no other settlements were established on this spot, we are finding artifacts in the places where they were last used. Weapons, cannonballs, spears, daggers, there are many many examples," Şenyurt told Demirören News Agency (DHA).
A view of artifacts discovered during excavations at Kurul Castle in northern Türkiye's Ordu province, Sept. 22, 2022.
"The most important historical artifacts found during the excavations have been the goddess Cybele statue, weighing 200 kilograms (440 pounds) and standing 1 meter tall, sitting on her throne, and the statue of the god of fertility Dionysus and the god Pan, and the Riton, an animal-shaped religious vessel," the professor explained.
A view of artifacts discovered during excavations at Kurul Castle in northern Türkiye's Ordu province, Sept. 22, 2022.
"We are hoping to find out what the Kurul Castle was called 2,300 years ago in our excavations this year. By uncovering significant sites next to the Cybele statue, we will try to learn the castle's previous name by finding epitaphs or similar artifacts," Şenyurt said.
Archaeologists work at the Kurul Castle site in northern Türkiye's Ordu province, Sept. 22, 2022.
