Traces of Vikings found at Bathonea archaeological excavation in Istanbul

Today's Zaman ^ | Monday, December 07, 2015 | unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

Archaeologists have found the figure of a goddess that dates back to the early Hittite period as well as a Viking amber necklace during an ongoing excavation in the ancient city of Bathonea by Lake Kucukcekmece in Istanbul.

An archaeological excavation was launched in 2009 near Lake Kucukcekmece in the Avcilar district of Istanbul to uncover the ancient city of Bathonea, which is estimated to be 1,600 years old. The excavation is being conducted under the supervision of Associate Professor Fengul Aydingun from Kocaeli University. in an earlier interview with the press, she had said the first two years of the project were spent doing cleaning, researching, mapping and geophysical work and that the team started digging in 2011.

The early Hittite figure of a goddess and the amber necklace dating back to the Viking era were found in 2015 during the excavation. The goddess figure is estimated to date back nearly 4,000 years. The figurine, 3.5 centimeters in height, is made out of lead.

The archaeological findings were also covered in the September 2015 edition of Current World Archaeology, Britain's most popular archaeology magazine.

The archaeologists' finding of a Viking-period amber necklace in Istanbul is considered significant as it may provide evidence for the presence of Vikings, who were said to have been hired as soldiers by the Eastern Roman Empire, in ninth-century Istanbul.

About 700 Vikings are believed to have come to Istanbul from Scandinavia through Russia and, according to historians, are thought to have remained in Istanbul for about 400 years. However, the presence of those Vikings in Istanbul has not yet been proven. Thus, the recent finding of the necklace in Istanbul was greeted with enthusiasm by historians and archaeologists alike.

[Tainan]

Must be a government sponsored dig.
I count 11 people in the picture and only 3 look to be working.

[SunkenCiv]

In Turkey, it's better that way. The only digs that get done seem to be unauthorized (see this topic from the FRchives) or Disney-style restorations (a la Egypt, sadly) to try to bring in tourism.