Archaeologists Have Uncovered Ancient Remnants In Turkey Of The Final Battle Between The Persians And Lydians

The artifacts are reported to date back to the defeat of the Lydian Kingdom in 546 BC at the hands of Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Empire.

In a profoundly exciting discovery, archaeologists in Turkey have uncovered ancient military equipment that is believed to have been used in a war that was fought between the Persians and Lydians, which spelled the end of the Lydian empire in 546 BC.

The military equipment was discovered in Sardis, which was once the ancient capital of the Lydian Kingdom, as Hurriyet reports. From the seventh century BC to the seventh century AD, scores of different civilizations called this city home, and this location also has the privilege of holding what is considered to be one of the Seven Churches of Christianity.

With new excavation now centered in a region known as the “Palace,” Professor Nicholas Dunlop explained that last year’s work uncovered a layer that dated back to the Bronze Age.


However, after uncovering a stone seal, a military shield, and ivory that may have once been used for furniture, it was swiftly discovered that these items did not date back to the Bronze Age and would have been artifacts that were used during the time of the war between the Lydians and Persians.

Other artifacts that archaeologists have also managed to recover include cooking utensils, a stupendous amount of arrows, and part of the slab of an ancient floor, according to Dunlop, and the probability is high that these items date back to the defeat of the Lydians by Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Empire.


Doctorate student Guzin Ersen, from Boston University, described the archaeological excavation that is currently taking place in the ancient city of Sardis, explaining that the structures that have been discovered are absolutely enormous in nature and were used to demonstrate the invincibility of their leaders.

“Currently we are continuing to work at the structures kings built to represent their own power. The huge terrace walls were built to support the monumental structures. We are talking about very big structures. They were made of 3×1-meter stones. This terrace wall goes as far as 50 meters. This was a big investment in the past. The state and the kings made these structures to show their own power.”

With excavation of Sardis continuing in Turkey, archaeologists will be able to shed more light in the future on the ancient building structures and artifacts that they continue to recover from the time of the great war between the Lydians and the Persians.

Source: Read Full Article