Ancient pot discovery in Turkey contests smiley origin


The origins of smiley could be nearly 4,000-years-old after archaeologists in southeastern Turkey excavated a pot that bore the ubiquitous symbol, which today is one of the most frequently used emoticons online.

Ancient pot discovery in Turkey contests smiley origin

The roots of the symbol are widely believed to be from the early 1960s, with the classic smiley version bearing a bright yellow background said to have emerged in the early 1970s. However, the latest discovery in Turkey would now force a rethink of the origins of the symbol, versions of which have also been widely featured in several pieces of popular literature such as the graphic novel, The Watchmen.

The pot was discovered during seven-year long excavations in Gaziantep province’s Karkamis district along the Syria border under the guidance of Nicolo Marchetti, an archeology professor at the University of Bologno in Italy.

Marchetti said his team found a variety of objects at the site depicting the era of the Hittites, an ancient civilization and empire that is believed to have existed in the north-central Anatolian region.

“We have found a variety of cubes and urns. The most interesting of them is a pot belonging to 1700 BC that features an image of a ‘smile’ on it,” Marchetti said.

The vase-like, off-white colored pot features a small handle and has a prominent smiley face on the its belly.

“The pot was used for drinking sherbet [sweet drink]. Most probably, [this depicts] the oldest smile of the world,” he added.

The archeologist said the image on pot was revealed when it was pieced together masters of restoration.

The pot would be handed over to Gaziantep’s Archeology Museum, Marchetti said.

The excavations in Karkamis Ancient City are being carried out with participation from professors of Istanbul and Gaziantep University in Turkey; Marchetti is the team leader.

Turkey’s Culture and Tourism Ministry and Italian Foreign Ministry are among sponsors of the excavation project.

Author: Zuhal Uzundere Kocalar | Source: Anadolu Agency [July 17, 2017]

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ötzi and Tuscany: long-distance connections in the Copper Age

Image
The copper from Ötzi’s axe comes from Southern Tuscany. In September 2016, Professor Gilberto Artioli from the University of Padua had already announced this when presenting his first research findings on the occasion of the Bolzano Mummy Congress which had been jointly organised by the Eurac Institute for Mummies and the Iceman and the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology to commemorate the 25th anniversary of finding Ötzi’s remains. The copper axe of the Iceman [Credit: © South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology] Finding out about the origin of the copper was a complete surprise, as up till now archaeologists had assumed that the copper used in the Alpine region came from Alpine deposits or the Balkan region. What has not yet been ascertained is whether the Iceman acquired the copper from Tuscany as raw material or as a ready-made blade. Artioli’s publication furthermore establishes links to coeval metallurgical activity in Tuscany. Future research projects aim to retrace trading routes ...
Read more

New excavation season starts in ancient Sagalassos

Image
Excavation and restoration work has resumed in the ancient city of Sagalassos in southwestern Turkey. Monumental centre of Sagalassos: The urban quarter of Upper Agora  [Credit: Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism ] A team of 90 people from different countries will work in the excavation area this year and the works will continue for the next three months. A team of five experts from the city’s Mehmet Akif Ersoy University (MAKÜ) will give academic and technological support to the excavation. The head of the excavation team, Professor Jereon Poblome, said the most excavation would be done in the ancient agora area. “Our biggest excavation will take place in the eastern part of the upper agora, as the oldest building of Sagalassos was found there two years ago. As far as we have learned, there was a trade building in this area. This building was constructed in the second century B.C. and is the oldest official building of Sagalassos. Here is a rich place and our building is stan...
Read more

Ptolemaic buildings and bridge unearthed in Alexandria, Egypt

Image
The Hellenic Institute for the Research of Alexandrian Culture (H.R.I.A.C), directed by archaeologist Kalliopi Papakostas, has discovered ancient buildings and a bridge in the Shalallat Gardens area in Alexandria, Egypt. The Ptolemaic public building, where the carved tunnel has been discovered, was located in 2015  [Credit: ANA/MNA] According to the Athens Macedonia News Agency, excavations in the area have been ongoing for 21 years and archaeologists have now unearthed a long carved tunnel at a depth of 10 metres that sheds new light on the large public building from the Ptolemaic period that was found in 2015. The Ptolemaic public building, where the carved tunnel has been discovered,  was located in 2015 [Credit: ANA/MNA] Though its boundaries have yet to be revealed the building, which is thought to have had an arched ceiling, is of massive proportions. Excavation in the Shallalat Gardens in Alexandria, Egypt   [Credit: ANA/MNA] “This is a very significant discov...
Read more