8,200-year-old water channel discovered in İzmir

İZMİR

In the western province of İzmir’s Yeşilova Mound, archaeologists have recently discovered one of the earliest water channels in human history, dating back 8,200 years.

New excavations at the site uncovered one of the first water channels in history, while it was revealed that the first inhabitants of the city directed the stream with their hands and brought water to their home range.

Speaking to local media, the head of the excavations Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zafer Derin stated that during this year's excavations, the teams especially tried to understand how ancient civilizations of the region used zoning in their favor.

“We saw that there was a 6.5-meter-wide water canal running right through the middle of the settlement. It was paved with stones on both sides. It was raised like a set with soil. It was used around 8,200 years ago; for four generations. As a matter of fact, when this canal filled up over time, water continued to be passed through the same area by means of funnels even during the Roman period.”

Noting that the ancient settlement was built on both sides of the water canal, the professor pointed out that the settlement was not affected by floods since the canal was built accordingly.

“We determined its length to be around 220 meters. We were only able to open a small part of it because the inside of the canal is very densely filled with pebbles,” he added.

Drawing attention to the importance given to zoning works by the first residents of the region, Derin said that by determining the direction of water flow with their own hands, the first people who inhabited İzmir made their lives significantly easier. “This zoning is perhaps a situation seen for the first time in Anatolia."

While the excavation works in Yeşilova and Yassıtepe mounds continue with the coordination of the Culture and Tourism Ministry, İzmir and Bornova municipalities and Ege University, new discoveries about the ancient civilizations are made regularly in the region.

Just recently it was determined that the first people who inhabited the area consumed seafood, especially mussels; and many remains such as sea bream, poisonous stingrays, sea urchins, oysters and mussels dating back thousands of years were unearthed in a row during the previous excavations in the city consisting of nine villages.