Page 31 - World Of Nurol Magazine-24

At the final stage of these comprehensive
excavations, 8.500 year-old skeletons were found
in pre-historic graves. These graves reveal that
Istanbul accommodated the oldest settlements
of the Stone Age and this fact alone has changed
the history of Istanbul. In the Yenikapı excavation
site in early 2011, the use of wood which was rarely
seen in the tomb architecture of Neolithic period
was identified. Findings such as arrows, bow
and paddle were the oldest wooden artefacts of
the world. These unique artefacts stirred a lot of
attention around the world.
Sirkeci area, where the second station in the
Historical Peninsula is located, lies 40 meters below
the sea level and also has a historical significance.
At the South entrance of the station, architectural
remains dating back to the Ottoman period
and a cistern from Mid-Byzantine Period were
unearthed. At the North entrance, archaeological
remains from Mid-Byzantine Period were found in
addition to the surrounding public structures from
the late Roman/Byzantine Period.
Ahmet ARSLAN, M. Oğuz ÇARMIKLI, Metin TAHAN, Takashi YAMAUCHI, Erol ÜÇER, Binali YILDIRIM, Satoru OGATA, Hidem OHMI, Nobuaki TANAKA, Bülent ERDOĞAN During the excavations that caused a stir in the
world and have been continuing for nine years, 38
thousand artefacts have been registered dating
back from the Neolithic period until today in a
During the Yenikapı station excavations at -1 to -6.3 meter levels, a port was chronologically uninterrupted manner, which shed
revealed. 35 ships were found beneath the alluviums and orchards, 13 of which new light onto the city’s history. 40 thousand cases
have been excavated during the course of Marmaray Project. There is no other of pottery were unearthed. During the excavation
excavation site in the world where so many interrelated sunken ships have been works, sea embankment layers stratified between
found. The galiot-type wreck is the first ship in the world that dates back to the Neolithic culture layer and the remains of ancient
the Middle Age. The ship wrecks provided invaluable detailed information on city Theodosius Port, presented invaluable findings
the shipbuilding techniques and vessel types of the Byzantine Period. in understanding the transformations of Marmara
in the last 10 thousand years. Two new museums
More than 25.000 artefacts have been unearthed at the Yenikapı excavations are being planned for permanent exhibition of
that shed light into the trade, economy, daily lifestyles and religious beliefs of the revealed artefacts which are temporarily
the period. displayed at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.

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