4 thousand year old seeds found in Külhöyük will shed light on Hittite medicine

Stating that they found a 66-million-year-old fossil of a sea creature in a 5,000-year-old settlement area and a love flower seed in a container dating back to the Hittite period, Tekin said that the fossil is an important find that sheds light on the natural history of Ankara.

Stating that as a result of the analysis, the oldest known seed of the love flower was detected in the container, Tekin stated that they were investigating the purpose of their use along with other plant remains unearthed in the excavations.

Stating that it is known from cuneiform documents that the Hittites used some plants for therapeutic purposes, Tekin said that they evaluated that the plant remains found in Külhöyük may have been used for similar purposes.

"We are still investigating it. It was found in a container, but the purpose for which it was put is a question mark for us right now. However, we are doing our botanical tests throughout the excavations and found many seeds. We are also making a match according to the contexts of the finds associated with them. Now, perhaps, we will be able to talk about Hittite medicine. We think that some of these botanical remains may have been used for therapeutic purposes. We will start a new study. The project is still in the development stage. This study is especially about whether these plants related to Hittite medicine and pharmacy were used or not." will take shape."

Providing information about the 66-million-year-old fossil of a sea creature found during the excavations, Tekin stated that the fossil belongs to a snail-type creature whose scientific name is "Gastropoda".

Source: TRT Haber Yaşam RSS (Open Press / Translated Full Text)