In the Hasankeyf district of Batman, southeastern Türkiye, archaeological excavations have uncovered the remains of a 1,600-year-old military structure from the Roman period.
The excavations are ongoing at Hasankeyf Castle, one of the oldest settlements in human history, led by associate professor Zekai Erdal from the Department of Art History at Mardin Artuklu University (MAU).
The archaeological digs, which began in 1984, have revealed various cultural artifacts from the Assyrians, Sassanids, Byzantine period, the Era of the Four Caliphs, Umayyads, Abbasids, Hamdanids, Mervanids, Artuqids, Ayyubids, Ilkhanids, Ottomans and the republic period.
Among the findings are a baked clay horse figurine from the Iron Age, a "healing bowl against dog bites and scorpion and snake stings" from the Artuqid period, a plaster relief depicting a human face reflecting Central Asian Uyghur style from the same period and colorful, floral-decorated plaster fragments from the 13th-14th centuries (similar examples can be seen in the mihrabs of the Great Seljuk and Ilkhanid mosques in Iran).
Additionally, the team has reached Muslim graves that were buried with coffins that have handles and nails, extending from the Artuqids to the Ottoman period.
Last year, they discovered a healing bowl inscribed with charms, seals and verses, as well as two zihgirs (archer rings) made of agate and bone, marking the first time these items were used in the health sector.
This year, archaeological excavations are continuing under the expertise of a specialized team.
The carefully conducted work by the teams has led to the discovery of the remains of a 1,600-year-old military structure identified as dating back to the reign of Roman Emperor Constantius II.
Excavation head associate professor Zekai Erdal told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the 2024 excavation work began in July under the support and patronage of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
Erdal noted that they had reached structures and materials from the republic, Ottoman, Ak Koyunlu, Safavid and Ayyubid periods.
"In fact, we can give this good news: Historical sources mention a military structure and castle from the Late Roman period in Hasankeyf. However, no traces of this Late Roman structure had been found in previous research. This was merely information recorded in archive records. As of 2024, remains of a structure dating back to the fourth century, said to have been built during the reign of Constantius II, have been uncovered," he stated.
Discussing the main features of the structure, Erdal pointed out that it was built using the Isodom wall technique characteristic of the Roman period, with very narrow joint spacing.
Erdal said: "Both the dimensions of the stones and the construction techniques and stone measurements compared to large palaces and other structures have led us, through discussions with our professors working on Roman period architecture, to uncover that the structure remains are part of the military structure attributed to the reign of Constantius II."
Erdal emphasized that Constantius II was the Eastern Roman Emperor who lived in the fourth century, noting that the discovered structure is approximately 1,600 years old.
He added that they have also found ceramic remnants from that period inside and outside the structure, saying: "By tracing the remains of the walls here, we actually hope to find the remains of structures belonging to states that dominated the region during the Late Roman period and after, such as the Umayyads, Abbasids, Mervanids, and Hamdanids, before the Artuqids."