1,500-Year-Old Kitchen Knives Uncovered in Turkey

KARABUK, TURKEY—Türkiye Today reports that a 1,500-year-old set of four iron knives of varying sizes and a whetstone were discovered at the site of Hadrianopolis in Turkey’s Black Sea region. Ersin Çelikbaş of Karabük University said that the knives and the sharpener were uncovered in the kitchen section of an area of the city known as the Bath Structure Complex. Although the knives were recovered in pieces, they have been restored and reassembled. The knives were likely used to process locally raised animals, Çelikbaş explained. Analysis of the whetstone revealed that it was sourced from a nearby quarry and shows that the quarry was in use earlier than previously known. For more on the archaeology of Anatolia, go to "The Unexpected World of the Odyssey: Trojan Tourist Trap."