The identification of a cut on a skull that was unearthed during the Bathonea excavations, which archaeologists have been conducting in the Küçükçekmece lake basin for the last five years, appears to reveal that brain surgery was performed 1,000 years ago. Link

A large number of historical artifacts, including the head of a 2,000-year-old Hermes statue, have been seized during an operation by the Sivas Police Department Directorate of Anti-smuggling and Organized Crime Branch. Link

In order to contribute to the dialogue between the people from Turkey and the Syrian refugees, the InEnArt research platform has been conducting a series of educational workshops in İstanbul for theater, video and dance. Link

This week, Culture at King’s at King’s College London published a new enquiry(pdf) into access to the arts for young people. The report was inspired by a pair of speeches in June 2014. As political parties prepare to set out their priorities for the arts, Deborah Bull of Culture at King’s asks what today’s policymakers can learn from the early pioneers. Link

Prehistoric rock paintings in the ancient city of Heraklia in the western province of Muğla’s Milas district cannot be protected, according to locals and experts. The paintings are from 8,000 years ago. Link

There was a 4.6 percent increase in the number of books published in Turkey in 2014 compared with the year before, but as far as content goes, the country's publishing industry should also seek to improve itself in terms of quality, according to the vice president of the Turkish Publishers Association (TYB), Fahri Aral. Link

Those wandering around the Aegean resort town of Bodrum looking for a cozy private plot of land entrenched in history might just be in luck, because a local real estate agency may have what they need: An ancient city dating back to the 5th century B.C. located near Güllük Bay on the northern coast of the Bodrum peninsula. Link

The İstanbul International Film Festival is launching a national competition section for documentary features in its upcoming edition this spring, the İstanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), which organizes the annual festival, announced on Tuesday. Link

Artistic director Pravesh Kumar on directors’ low pay and theatre’s responsibility to represent Britain’s diversity. "Britain is a multicultural society, and if its artistic community cannot represent this, what hope do we have? I realise some organisations will find it hard when they are already pinched, but diversity does not always mean cost." Link

Only one of the new buildings is ready, its centrepiece artwork had to be dismantled after bits fell off – and people are more excited about getting their first Ikea. Is the Belgian city the final nail in the coffin for European capitals of culture? Link