In the excavations carried out in the Yeşilova Mound, where the first settlers of the city lived, in the Bornova district of Izmir city in Turkey, bone needles dating back 8,200 years were found.
Ege University Faculty of Letters, Department of Archeology, Head of Excavation Assoc. Dr. Zafer Derin said, “The first settlers in Izmir used them. They were producing with these tools in weaving.”
Excavations in the Yeşilova and Yassıtepe mounds continue with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, Bornova Municipality and Ege University. During the studies, 9 villages were unearthed in a row. And it was understood that its history dates back to 8,500 years ago. Many remains were found in the city, such as sea bream, a deadly poisonous stingray, sea urchin, oysters and mussels dating back thousands of years. From these remains, it was determined that the first people of Izmir consumed seafood, especially mussels, just like the inhabitants of today. The 2022 excavation season has started in the Yeşilova and Yassıtepe mounds, where the first people of İzmir lived, which shed light on history. The first finds of this year’s excavations were stone cutting tools used for cutting meat, carving wood and working in furniture made from 8,200 years ago.
Emphasizing that Yeşilova and Yassıtepe mounds are settlement areas where very important findings about İzmir’s past are found, Excavation Director Assoc. Dr. Zafer Derin said, “This is a residential area where the history of the city can be understood. We are working in a very large area. We continue this work in 2 sections on an area of 1200 square meters. Various artifacts belonging to many cultures from 8,200, 6,000, 5,000 and 2,000 years ago today. We uncovered it,” he said.
Stating that during this year’s excavations, they finally found needles made of bone material used by the first settlers of Izmir for sewing, Assoc. Dr. Derin said, “These finds may belong to women. The people of Izmir in the past were using them. The needles used at that time, as today, are not made of metal like today. They do not know about this mine.
The needles are beautifully made of bone. Mostly bird and sheep bones were used. They straighten and sharpen them into needles. It can also be used as a buckle or collar jewelry. They evaluate an animal they eat daily in their life. It does not leave any waste material behind. They could use these tools in weaving and produce. “These are objects dating back 8,200 years,” he said.