Grave of Urartian woman buried with jewelry unearthed in Turkey (From the archives, 2020)

A grave belonging to a noble Urartian woman buried with her jewelry was found at the Çavuştepe Castle in the Gürpınar district of the eastern province of Van.

Since 2017, excavation works have been ongoing at Çavuştepe Castle, conducted by a team of academics led by professor Rafet Çavuşoğlu, head of the archaeology department at Van’s Yüzüncü Yıl University.

Grave of Urartian woman buried with jewelry unearthed in eastern Turkey |  Daily Sabah

Over the course of the protracted dig, the team discovered a necropolis believed to mark the burial site of the Urartian ruling class.

Recently, this has led to the unearthing of the skeletal remains of a woman buried with a full set of exquisite jewelry. The team’s anthropologists are now set to examine the skeleton in a lab environment to determine the cause of death and the exact age of the woman.

Van'da takılarıyla gömülmüş Urartulu kadın mezarı ortaya çıkarıldı -  Anadolu Ajansı

In an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA), Çavuşoğlu stated that they had found very important information in the necropolis area over the course of the three-year project.

Van'da takılarıyla gömülmüş Urartulu kadın mezarı ortaya çıkarıldı -  Anadolu Ajansı

Pointing out that this was not the first time this year that the importance of jewelry in the burial traditions of the Urartians had been attested to, Çavuşoğlu said: “This last grave we unearthed probably belonged to a woman aged 20-25. What matters here is that the woman was buried with all her jewelry. There is almost a complete set of jewelry on her skeleton, which indicates that the adornment traditions of Urartian women were very highly considered. We have determined that the skeleton belonged to a noblewoman, given that there were bracelets on both her wrists, a bronze ring in her left hand, a pendulum earring on both her ears, a brooch on the lower part of her neck and a necklace made of semi-precious stones on her neck. It is understood that she was buried with all the jewelry she used in daily life.”

Van'da takılarıyla gömülmüş Urartulu kadın mezarı ortaya çıkarıldı -  Anadolu Ajansı

The professor further noted that the value attached to women in Urartian society had also become more evident as part of their excavations, adding: “The most important point here is that the burials consisted of no ordinary people but rather the wives and relatives of the ruling class in the castle. One of the biggest features of this woman skeleton is her ring. It is perhaps the earliest archaeological find to testify to a prenuptial agreement.”

Takılarıyla gömülmüş... Urartulu kadın mezarı bulundu

Urartu civilization was an Iron Age kingdom located near Lake Van and the mountainous plateau between Anatolia, Mesopotamia, the Iranian Plateau, and the Caucasus Mountains. The civilization, also known as the Kingdom of Van, was established around the mid-ninth century B.C. and enjoyed considerable political power in the Middle East.

Related Posts

The Giants of the Past – Tracing the Mystery of Ancient Human Bones

In a quiet corner of a small museum, a display captures the imagination of every visitor who walks by—a colossal femur bone towering beside the leg of…

Faşiller Stone Monument: A Sleeping Hitтιтe Heritage

Hidden on a steep rocky mountainside in southeastern Anatolia, a monumental ancient carving that has stood for thousands of years quietly tells the story of one of…

Göbekli Tepe: The Amazing Honeycomb Stone Temple

Göbekli Tepe is one of the most important and groundbreaking archaeological discoveries of the 21st century, completely changing the way we understand the origins of civilization. Located…

Jiayuguan: The Last Guardian of the Great Wall

At the stark and dramatic confluence of the Gobi Desert and the Qilian Mountains stands Jiayuguan Fortress, the formidable “First and Greatest Pᴀss Under Heaven.” Constructed during…

The Temple of the Moon: The Sacred Stone of Ollantaytambo

High in the Peruvian Andes, nestled in the rugged cliffs above the ancient city of Ollantaytambo, lies one of the most enigmatic sites of Inca civilization—the Temple…

The Serapeum Stepwell: A Staircase to the Underworld

Beneath the sun-scorched sands of Saqqara, Egypt, far from the towering pyramids and bustling temples, lies a different kind of marvel—one that descends into darkness instead of…