Türkiye’s Ayanis Castle excavations uncover bronze shields, helmet from Urartian era

Live Science highlights a history professor at the US Stony Brook University, who discussed the remarkable archaeological discoveries at Ayanis Castle in Türkiye.

While excavating at an ancient castle in Türkiye, archaeologists uncovered several martial artifacts, including three bronze shields and a bronze helmet dating back 2,700 years to the time of a powerful kingdom renowned for its metalwork.

The team discovered the armour within a temple complex at Ayanis Castle, a fortress located near Lake Van in eastern Türkiye, built by the Kingdom of Urartu (also known as the Kingdom of Van), which thrived between the ninth and sixth centuries B.C. 

This kingdom was celebrated for its military strength and artistic achievements, particularly in metalwork. The discovery was announced by Mehmet Ersoy, Türkiye's Minister of Culture and Tourism. According to Ersoy’s translated posts, the temple complex was dedicated to Haldi, the chief god of Urartu, and the martial artifacts would have served as offerings to Haldi.

“These discoveries would be significant at any other site, but at Ayanis, they are quite typical,” said Paul Zimansky, a history professor at Stony Brook University who conducted archaeological work at Ayanis from 1997 to 2009 but was not involved in the recent findings. 

“This castle is emerging as the richest Urartian site in Türkiye for various reasons, especially the abundance of bronzes linked to the temple,” Zimansky noted.

He mentioned that similar shields and helmets have previously been found at Ayanis, including a more elaborate piece discovered in 1997 that featured a lion's head. 

Zimansky also pointed out a more significant find made in 2023 that did not receive much media attention: “a bronze cart or miniature chariot—likely a wagon used to transport a cultic statue,” which he described as a “blockbuster find.” The current excavation at Ayanis Castle is led by Mehmet Isikli, an archaeology professor at Ataturk University.

By Naila Huseynova