A 3,600-year-old Hittite-era seal has been found in a box during a police operation held in the Central Anatolian province of Çorum. The seal was one of two of its kind in the world. Teams from the anti-smuggling and organized crime branch were ordered to carry out an operation in pursuit of a man who would transport historical artifacts from Ankara to Çorum. Link

Archaeological excavations will soon begin on the ancient  2,200-year-old Amos, one of the most important ancient cities in the southwestern province of Muğla’s Marmaris district, which has never been the subject of a dig. However, no sponsor has yet been found to help cover part of the costs of the endeavor. Link

Datça in the western province of Muğla has initiated a process to return the Lion and Demeter of Knidos, which are currently on display at the British Museum in London, as well as the other artifacts at various Turkish museums to the district. Datça Mayor Gürsel Uçar said they were determined to get those artifacts back and would apply to the Culture and Tourism Ministry once again to this end. Link

Byzantine-era mosaics unearthed in the city of Stratonikeia, one of the largest marble cities in antiquity, will be open to visitors after the completion of restoration work, according to scholars in southwestern Turkey. A city in the ancient Karia region in the southwestern province of Muğla, Stratonikeia retained its significance during the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Anatolian beylik, Ottoman and Republican eras. Link

The right arm of a Heracles relief in an ancient quarry in the northwestern province of Bursa’s İznik district has suffered damage due to the agricultural industry in the area, according to cultural specialists.  Salty and chemical waste from olive processing in the area are also damaging the relief. Link 

C-News  
Culturelink Newsletter No. 102/November-December 2015
 
From the Focal Point

Need for a Global Response to Violence and Hate

Europa Nostra, the leading European heritage organization, and the European Investment Bank Institute announced on Dec 10 the 14 monuments and sites shortlisted for “The Seven Most Endangered” program 2016 by an international panel of experts in various fields. The ancient city of Hasankeyf from Turkey and its surroundings was among those heritage sites Link1 Link2

Link

The head of the Culture and Arts Association in the eastern province of Kars, Vedat Akçayöz, has said the registration of 15 rock paintings discovered around the Alem village, some 11 kilometers away from the ancient city of Ani on the Turkish-Armenian border, has been sent to the Museum Directorate, adding the hope was to have the entire area added to UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Link1 Link2

“Heritage Counts 2015” is produced by the Historic Environment Forum. The 2015 publication is the fourteenth annual audit of the historic environment in England. It reports on major developments and trends in the heritage sector. Each year Heritage Counts collects and presents indicators about the state of the historic environment.