An unexpected discovery was made by Turkish archaeologists who discovered a 3,500-year-old seal depicting a double-headed eagle on the territory of Anatolia. The discovery was made during excavations at the Uçheyuk site, located in the Bolvadin region in western Turkey.
Anadolu Agency
A grain elevator and two seal impressions, one of which depicts a double-headed eagle, were found during excavations at Uchheyuk.
How reports Arkeonews, archaeologists have been excavating in search of the lost city of Purushanda, which flourished during the Hittite Empire – one of the most powerful states of its time.
They managed to unearth an ancient granary and two different seal impressions, one of which depicted a double-headed eagle. According to the researchers, this discovery not only sheds new light on the secrets of ancient Anatolia, but also demonstrates the power, status and high position of the city of Uçheyuk.
Finds prove that it was an important administrative center, one of the largest Hittite cities, which flourished in 1600-1700 BC.
According to Professor Ozdemir Koçak from Seljuk University, the discovered seals, cylinder and stamped ceramic shards are special finds.
“They show that this was a large city in Anatolia in the 1600-1700s BC,” Kochak said. “The sample stamp impression we found was used around the pithos or in its closure. It is an interesting example. It depicts double-headed eagle. We also found cylinder seal impressions and other materials.”
Kochak added that Akkadian documents around 2350 BC mention the city of Purushanda. Traces of it are lost in history, but archaeologists hope to prove that the site of Uchheyuk is precisely the lost city of Purushanda.
“Akkadian documents describe how King Sargon of Akkad raided the city of Purushanda at the request of a merchant, how he captured the city and painted images of himself and King Purushanda on the city walls,” says Dr. Kocha.
Our goal is to prove that the city mentioned in these documents is Uchheyuk. This city was an important market for Anatolia around 2000 BC. During excavations we found seals dating back to 2300 BC. All the descriptions and documents we have indicate that this place is Purushanda.”
The double-headed eagle is often symbolized with Russia, including modern Russia, since it is the main element of the State Emblem. However, this symbol of power, strength and unity has very ancient roots.
Thus, ancient images of double-headed eagles were found on archaeological sites of Ancient Media. In the period from the 4th to the 15th centuries, the double-headed eagle was the state emblem of Byzantium, a symbol of the unity of the Eastern and Western Roman Empires.
Since the 14th century, the double-headed eagle has been depicted on the coins of Ludwig of Bavaria and other European monarchs who considered themselves rulers and heirs of the vanished Roman Empire.
By the way, in the 15th century the double-headed eagle became the coat of arms of the “Holy Roman Empire”, and in the 19th century it became the coat of arms of Austria-Hungary, which considered itself to be the de facto successor of the Roman Empire.
In Russia, the double-headed eagle also appeared thanks to the Roman Empire, or rather Byzantium, which represented the eastern part of this empire. The double-headed eagle became the state emblem of Russia after the marriage of Ivan III to the Byzantine princess Sophia Paleologue.
He personified not only strength and power, but also Rus”s claims to the Byzantine inheritance. Subsequently, the meaning of this symbol was expanded – it became an emblem of the inseparability of European and Asian Russia, since the eagle looked both to the west and to the east. Double-headed eagles are still used in the national symbols of different countries.
Source: rodina-history.ru
