Ancient olive seeds unearthed in Turkey's Kilis

KİLİS

Archaeological excavations in Oylum Mound, one of the biggest of its kind in the southeastern Turkey, have unearthed olive seeds from 4,000 years ago. The seeds, found in Kilis along the Turkish-Syrian border, date back the time the Great Pyramids of Egypt were built.

“We’ve discovered dozens of olive seeds inside layers dating back 4,000 years, and various basaltic grinding stones that we think were used to produce olive oil,” Atilla Engin, an archaeology professor at Gaziantep University, told Anadolu Agency.

Stating that the Mediterranean was known as the “motherland of olives,” Engin said olives and olive oil were not just used for food, but also had numerous uses in textiles, medicine, and mining. Olive oil was a pricey and valued commodity in ancient times, he said.

“It was twice as expensive as sesame oil, which is harder to produce than olive oil, and it was 10 times more expensive than wine,” he explained.