A cylinder seal thought to belong to the Assyrian Trade Colonies Age was found in the Ancient City of Blaundos during the excavations led by Dr. Birol Can who is a professor at Archeology in Faculty of Arts and Sciences, on behalf of Uşak University with the permission of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Uşak Governor Dr. Turan Ergün and Uşak University Rector Prof. Dr. Ekrem Savaş visited the ancient city and examined the excavation site.

The Seal Found in the Excavations Will Take the History of the City of Blaundos Even Older

Prof. Dr. Savaş said, “A cylindrical seal thought to belong to the Assyrian Trade Colonies Age (18th/17th century BC) was found recently during the Blaundos excavation, which started in 2018. In order to examine this discovery, which can take the history of Blaundos, which is about 2500 years old, much further back than known, and to make explanations, we were in the ancient city of Blaundos together with our Governor Dr. Turan Ergün. As the university, we are working hard to fulfill our duties in order to reveal the historical treasures of our Uşak. As Uşak University, we carry out studies in the historical cities of Banaz, Sivaslı, Karahallı and Ulubey districts. I would like to thank the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Governorship of Uşak for their support for the excavations carried out by the Archeology Department of our university in Blaundos."

Pointing out that Ulubey is a very rich district with its historical and cultural structures, the Governor of Uşak, Dr. Turan Ergün thanked everyone who contributed to the excavations, stating that the cylinder seal found in the excavations could take the history of the ancient city back even further, and that investigations on the subject would be carried out by Uşak University academics and officials.

Governor Ergün: Deficiencies are being fixed one by one

Stating that the excavations carried out by the valuable academics of Uşak University in the ancient city of Blaundos have entered their 5th year, Governor Dr. Ergün said, “We support these excavations as our Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Governorate and Uşak Provincial Administration. The Ministry of Culture allocated 385 thousand TL to this place. We have allocated 400 thousand TL from the additional budget of the Special Provincial Administration. In addition, we covered the costs of positioning the containers here, vehicle reinforcement, fueling the vehicles, accommodation needs of the friends excavating here, a water tanker and cameras working with solar energy. The biggest shortcoming here is the absence of a welcome unit. When citizens come, they cannot meet their need for sinks and water. We have prepared a new project with the Uşak Governorship, Provincial Directorate of Culture and Zafer Development Agency. With a resource of 2.5 million TL, we will build this reception unit and small sales units. After bidding, these units will be completed next year. We will also build a nice road here," he said.

Assyrian Period (18th-17th century BC) Seal

Stating that important information has been obtained with the excavations carried out in Blaundos since 2018, the head of the excavation Prof. Dr. Can said, “In the city center where the excavations are concentrated, the sanctuary of Demeter, the goddess of fertility, was opened to a large extent, the excavations of the monumental entrance of the sanctuary were completed, the main street was partially exposed, the city's bathhouse was discovered, the Byzantine period workshops and shops were unearthed. Restoration works of some buildings are being planned, and the destroyed marble structures will be restored soon. The conservations of the colorful mural paintings found on the walls of hundreds of rock tombs on the slopes of the canyon surrounding the city have been completed, and walkways will be designed for their visit in the near future. On the other hand, information signs were prepared to ensure correct information for the visitors. During the excavations, in addition to many findings such as coins and ceramics, sculptures that stand out with their quality workmanship were unearthed, and inscriptions honoring the administrators of the city were unearthed. The ancient Assyrian era (18th-17th century BC) seal found this season surprised us all. This find showed that the cultural history of the region should be rethought. “I would like to thank Governorship, Rector  Prof. Dr. Ekrem Savaş, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and our colleagues for their support.”

Uşak University Archeology Department Head Prof. Dr. Rainer Czichon, on the other hand, introduced the seal found this year and conveyed what it means to be found in Blaundos.

Provincial Police Chief Mesut Gezer, Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Senior Colonel Fahri Semiz, Provincial Culture and Tourism Director Sabri Ceylan, and Provincial Special Administration Secretary General Ertan Keleş also attended the visit.