A seal, believed to date back to 6,200 BCE, has been discovered in Western Turkey. The site is located at the Yesilova Tumulus and excavations are being carried out by the Ege University's Department of Archaeology, under the leadership of Associate professor Zafer Derin. The seal is in the shape of eight petals of a flower and could eith have been used as a seal on documents or possibly to pattern fabrics.
     When talking about the importance of the site, the Mayor of the area, Kamil Okyar Sindir, is quoted as saying "We have organised an architectural project competition for this area and a jury is now evaluating projects. When the project is chosen we will establish an exhibition and education centre."
     The excavations at the Yesilova Tumulus, near Izmir, have also uncovered several artifacts which have help to identify the inhabitants at that time. Professor Derin says "Findings obtained from the excavation determined that those who lived in this area 8,500 years ago had an organized society and were related to the people who lived in Anatolia. We had clues that they also had commercial relations with people in the Anatolia region."

Edited from Hurriyet Daily News (20 Sept 2010)