Ottoman-scripted coin unearthed in Amida
This year’s excavations at Amida Mound, part of the UNESCO World Heritage List in Diyarbakır, have been concluded. Among the artifacts unearthed this year is an Ottoman-scripted coin from the early years of the Turkish Republic.
The archaeological site, which has hosted numerous civilizations including the Hurri-Mitanni, Bit-Zamani Kingdom, Assyrians, Urartians, Medes, Persians, Tigranes’ Kingdom, Romans, Byzantines, Sasanians, Umayyads, Abbasids, Marwanids, Seljuks, Nisanoğulları, Artuqids, Ayyubids, Akkoyunlus, Safavids and Ottomans, has been excavated under the direction of Professor İrfan Yıldız, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design at Dicle University, since 2018.
The excavations have revealed artifacts such as 1,800-year-old water channels and heating systems, 1,700-year-old burial chambers, 782 grenades from World War I and 800-year-old marble fragments. This year, work focused on the southern chamber of the reception hall of the Artuqid Palace and the area between Saraykapı and the Royal Road.
Findings from the excavations, including evidence of fire, ceramic shards and stone materials, confirmed that settlement at Amida Mound began 10,000 years ago. Artifacts from the Seljuk, Artuqid, Ayyubid, Ottoman and Republican periods have been unearthed and are on display.
Yıldız announced that the 2024 excavation season, which began on Jan. 2, concluded on Dec. 31. From January to May, office work was carried out, while fieldwork took place from May 20 to Dec. 31.
He noted the efforts of 19 workers and nine technical staff, with work conducted in 35 trenches, primarily on the Royal Road. "Eighty meters of the Royal Road were uncovered in previous years. This year, 30 meters were excavated, and the remaining 20 meters will be completed in the 2025 season," he said.
The team unearthed lots of artifacts, 23 of which were classified as museum-worthy and five as study-worthy. They will be handed over to the Diyarbakır Archaeology Museum for further examination and eventual exhibition. Other materials will be studied further in the office phase, which resumes on Jan. 20 this year.
Yıldız highlighted significant finds, including a seal from the Late Uruk period and a Çanakkale War badge from the Ottoman era. Artifacts from the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, Seljuk, Artuqid, Ayyubid, Ottoman and Republican periods were also unearthed. Additionally, Paleolithic stone tools were found, likely transported to the site.
“The seals and coins are particularly significant,” Yıldız noted. “We found four coins in total, representing the Ottoman and Ayyubid periods, as well as one from the Republican era. The artifacts unearthed this year have extended Amida Höyük’s timeline back by another thousand years, confirming continuous settlement for 10,000 years, starting from 8000 B.C.”
Speaking about the coin from the Republican era, Yıldız said, “The coin, minted in 1926, is among the first coins produced after the Republic was founded in 1923. The obverse features an oak leaf and acorn, a crescent and star, and the Ottoman-script inscription ‘10 kuruş.’ The reverse depicts a wheat stalk, the Ottoman-script inscription ‘Republic of Türkiye,’ and the minting year, 1926. As it predates the alphabet reform, the text is in Ottoman script.”
