SANKO SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PROJECTS
29 July 2022

Excavations in Zeugma and Carchemish Ancient City

                                                     

SANKO Holding brings the past and the future together. Sponsoring some archaeological excavations in Gaziantep in line with the goal to preserve the Anatolian cultural heritage and to transfer it to future generations, SANKO Holding supports unearth of artefacts that shed light on the history of civilizations. SANKO Holding made significant contribution to excavations of magnificent artefacts, especially to excavation sites in the ancient city of Zeugma and Carchemish. SANKO Holding respects historical and cultural values ​​and aims to bring the past and the future together. In the eastern part of the Lower Palace area in the ancient city of Carchemish, research continued on findings during the Hittite Empire period (approximately 1225 BC), when the city was at its peak. Dozens of clay stampings with stamps of the highest officials of the Hittite administration were discovered in the administrative building called the "Seal House". By determining where these sealings were used, a basic knowledge of ​​how the administration in the Carchemish vassal kingdom worked can be obtained. One of the findings of great importance was a “bulla” containing seal impressions, possibly belonging to Piradu, one of the important merchants of the Middle Assyrian Kingdom. It is predicted that Piradu's identity will contribute to the analysis of the Hittite-Assyrian relations, which deteriorated towards the collapse of the Hittite State, and the chronology of some events of that period. Another important finding is the Anatolian hieroglyphic inscription on a pottery that was unearthed for the first time in Anatolia, which reads "Manager of the City, X-patu". It was used to seal doors, a magnificent cylinder seal in the official named Zinni, the "Lord of the Seal (House)".