Ivory Carving Uncovered in Turkey

CORUM, TURKEY—The Anadolu Agency reports that an excavation in northern Turkey at the site of Hattusha has uncovered a piece of carved ivory measuring about one foot long. Archaeologist Andreas Schachner of the German Archaeological Institute, who is leading the excavation, said that the ornament was discovered in the Great Fortress area of the Hittite capital. It is the first time that carved ivory has been recovered from the site, and it may have been imported, he added. The carvings depict a sphinx, a lion, and two trees of life. “Most likely, in its own period, it was added as a decoration to a wooden box or a piece of furniture made of wood,” Schachner said. “The work is broken on its right and left sides, but the upper and lower sides are intact. So, it can be inferred that it was actually longer,” he concluded. To read about cuneiform tablets discovered at Hattusha, go to "A Foreign Affair."