A third consecutive year of excavations at the Seyitömer mound around 200 kilometres south-southeast of Istanbul have revealed the remnants of a 4,500-year-old rope, along with other organic items which survived because they had been charred by fire. Around 12 centimetres long and 1.5 centimetres in diameter, the rope is similar in weave to modern ropes, with a double spiral of twisted strands.
     The mound dates to the 3rd century BCE, with evidence of Early Bronze Age and Roman period settlements. The site has yielded more than 17,000 artefacts. Originally 26 metres high, 140 metres wide and 150 metres long, mining for lignite - a type of soft coal - began in 1989. Archaeological digs have happened between 1990 and 1995, from 2006 to 2014, and again since 2019.

Edited from Daily Sabah (23 December 2021)