1,600-year-old seeds found in ancient kitchen

KARABÜK

The kitchen section of a structure has been unearthed during excavations that have been going on for 20 years in the ancient city of Hadrianopolis in the Eskipazar district of Karabük. Examinations in the kitchen revealed seeds from 1,600 years ago.

The structure was unearthed in 2003 in the ancient city. Wheat, vetch and yoghurt seeds, considered to date back 1,600 years, were found in a bowl in the kitchen inside the building.

Additionally, old pots and pans, a sharpening stone and an iron knife were also found in the kitchen. While a small part of the structure was found during the excavation, the remaining part will be revealed during the ongoing work.

The head of the excavations, Associated Professor Ersin Çelikbaş stated that they unearthed a new structure in the region where excavations continue.

“We have not yet fully determined the function of the structure. Work still continues. However, we clearly identified that one room of this building was a kitchen. The kitchen area is accessed via a staircase. The kitchen has a small square plan. The stove section of the kitchen was also unearthed. Right next to the stove section, there are containers and the seeds in two of these containers have survived to the present day. Experts determined the types of seeds. One of the seeds is wheat, the other is a pea type seed we call vetch. And there is also yoghurt herb. We also know that today, yoghurt is fermented with yoghurt herb in Eskipazar," he said.

“Additionally, iron knives were found next to these containers. We found a sharpening stone right next to these knives. The importance of this sharpening stone is as follows. The region's most famous knife sharpening stone since the Turkish-Islamic period is produced in Eskipazar. Therefore, we see a tradition that has lasted for many centuries in Eskipazar."

Çelikbaş stated that they think the materials found in the kitchen inside the building date back 1,600 years, and said, “Its superstructure was most likely wooden. When the wooden roof collapsed, it survived until today with these remains inside. We also determined that the structure, which was used between the fourth century A.D. and the seventh century A.D., was destroyed by fire. It is not possible to say about the function of this structure. Because we only revealed a small part of the structure. Further works will show the function.”