Phoenician finds at Oluz Höyük

Phoenician finds at Oluz Höyük are a collection of archaeological discoveries made at the multi-layered settlement of Oluz Höyük in Amasya Province, Turkey. Announced in late 2025, the finds include human-faced glass beads and a group of infant jar burials, which together suggest a previously undocumented presence or strong cultural influence of the Phoenicians deep within Anatolia during the Iron Age.[1][2] The discoveries were made during excavations led by Professor Şevket Dönmez of Istanbul University.[3]

Background

Oluz Höyük is a significant tell in north-central Anatolia, near the modern city of Amasya, with a history of settlement spanning approximately 6,500 years.[3] Excavations at the site began in 2007 and have revealed ten distinct occupational layers, including architectural remains from the Hittite, Phrygian, and Persian periods.[3][2] The site is considered a key location for understanding the political, religious, and cultural transformations of the region.[3]

Discoveries

The evidence suggesting a Phoenician connection consists of three main components: distinctive glass artifacts, a unique burial practice, and the architectural style of a sanctuary.[1][2][3]

Human-faced glass beads

Among the artifacts recovered were small glass beads shaped like human faces.[1] These objects are stylistically linked to the advanced glass-working traditions of the Phoenician world, particularly workshops associated with the city-state of Carthage.[3][2] Such beads were widely traded in antiquity and are often interpreted as protective amulets.[1][2] Their discovery in central Anatolia suggests that Phoenician trade networks extended much farther inland than previously assumed.[3] Professor Dönmez had previously noted the presence of Phoenician-style glass beads at the site in earlier scholarly publications.[4][5]

Infant jar burials

The most unusual find was a group of up to eight infant and fetus burials placed inside ceramic jars.[1][3] The jars were carefully arranged with deliberate spacing across a sacred area of the site.[2] Excavation director Dönmez stated that this funerary practice has "no known parallel elsewhere in Anatolia," setting it apart from traditional regional burial customs.[3]

Sanctuary architecture

The infant burials were found within a temple precinct dedicated to the ancient Anatolian goddess Kubaba.[2] The sanctuary's architectural plan features a long, narrow layout, described as a "megaroid" plan, which closely resembles known temple designs of the Arameans and Phoenicians in the Eastern Mediterranean.[3] Dönmez noted that the architectural parallels were "striking" and suggested that the presence of a Semitic-origin community like the Phoenicians in central Anatolia was surprising.[3]

Interpretation and significance

The combination of the imported glass beads and the unique burial practices led researchers to propose a direct cultural link to the Phoenician world.[2]

The infant jar burials have been tentatively linked to the Phoenician Tophet tradition, a ritual context known from sites across the Mediterranean where infants were interred in urns or jars within sacred precincts.[3] While the exact meaning of the burials at Oluz Höyük remains under investigation, the practice is consistent with funerary traditions observed in Phoenician contexts, where they have been interpreted as either funerary customs for children who died young, or as part of ritual or votive practices.[1][2]

Researchers caution that any direct cultural parallel must be evaluated scientifically.[1] Dönmez stressed that only detailed osteological and anthropological studies can determine whether the children died of natural causes or were part of a ritual tradition, and thus confirm the link to the Tophet tradition.[3][2] The discoveries are considered important for re-evaluating Anatolia's role within the cultural and trade networks of the ancient Mediterranean, suggesting connections that extended far beyond traditional coastal regions.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Altuntaş 2025a.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Moeed 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Altuntaş 2025b.
  4. ^ Dönmez 2015, p. 495.
  5. ^ Dönmez & Saba 2019, p. 112.

Sources

  • Altuntaş, Leman (2025a). "Anatolia's First Phoenician Find: Human-Faced Glass Beads and Baby Jar Burials Unearthed". Arkeonews.
  • Altuntaş, Leman (2025b). "Possible Phoenician Infant Jar Burials Discovered at Oluz Höyük in Central Anatolia". Anatolian Archaeology.
  • Moeed, Abdul (December 30, 2025). "Ancient Artifacts and Rare Burials Found in Central Anatolia Point to Phoenician Presence". Greek Reporter.
  • Dönmez, Şevket (2015). "Achaemenid presence at Oluz Höyük, north-central Anatolia". In Şevket Dönmez (ed.). The Danubian Lands between the Black, Aegean and Adriatic Seas. Archaeopress. p. 495.
  • Dönmez, Şevket; Saba, M (2019). "New Discoveries at Oluz Höyük: An Early Zoroastrian Sanctuary in North-Central Anatolia". In S. R. Steadman; G. McMahon (eds.). The Archaeology of Anatolia, Volume III. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 112–121.
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