3800-year-old ‘city sale contract’ found at Türkiye's Tell Atchana
An incised clay tablet, estimated to be 3,800 years old and written in Akkadian, was found in the Tell Atchana in Hatay, one of the most earthquake-hit cities in Türkiye.
A "city sale contract", which is thought to be written in the Akkadian language, estimated to be 3800 years old, was found in the Tell Atchana (Alalah) in Hatay, one of the provinces most affected by the earthquake in Türkiye in February.
The operations were carried out by a team of 25 people led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Murat Akar, Head of the Department of Protohistory and Prehistory Archaeology at Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, not only preserved cultural heritage but also provided new findings that shed light on the past.
The team removed the wall rubble and found a clay tablet with cuneiform writing among the ruins.
KING'S AGREEMENT TO TAKE ANOTHER CITY
A preliminary examination of the Akkadian tablet reveals that the first known king of Alalah, Yarim-Lim, made a deal to buy another city.
"It was very exciting when we were removing the rubble of a few collapsed walls in the mound and we came across a tablet that was untouched and intact," Akar said.
"We see that the kings of this region had economic power during the period we define as Middle Bronze. This is reflected in written documents with surprising examples," he added.
Akar noted that the artifact will be delivered to the museum after its examination.
Source: Anadolu Agency
