The thread discusses the discovery of a lost ancient kingdom in Turkey, prompted by the finding of a stone with inscriptions. The conversation encompasses archaeological implications, historical context, and linguistic connections related to the discovery.
Participants express excitement about the discovery and its implications, but there is disagreement regarding the linguistic relationships of the Luwian language to Armenian and Arabic, with no consensus reached on this point.
The discussion includes assumptions about the historical significance of the find and the linguistic classification of the Luwian language, which may depend on further research and definitions.
Archaeologists, historians, linguists, and those interested in ancient civilizations and the history of the Near East may find this discussion relevant.
A mysterious stone with strange inscriptions has led to the discovery of a lost ancient kingdom in Turkey – which may have battled Phrygia, a kingdom once ruled by King Midas.
The as-yet-unnamed ancient kingdom was found after a farmer discovered a huge stone containing a message from an ancient king in an irrigation ditch.
Researchers from the University of Chicago were investigating Türkmen-Karahöyük, a large Bronze and Iron Age mounded settlement occupied between about 3,500 and 100 BC.
A local farmer told the researchers he had found a big stone with strange inscriptions while dredging a nearby irrigation canal the previous winter.
The kingdom is as yet unnamed, but it could reshape the history of the area.
“We had no idea about this kingdom. In a flash, we had profound new information on the Iron Age Middle East,” he added.
The researchers now hope to investigate the area further, and are planning to complete a survey this summer.
Prof Osborne said: “Inside this mound are going to be palaces, monuments, houses. This was a marvelous, incredibly lucky find but it’s just the beginning.”