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1,000-Year-Old Byzantine Gold Coin Found in Shallow Waters Off Turkey
A gold coin dating back more than 1,000 years has been discovered in shallow waters off the coast of western Turkey. The Byzantine coin was found by an amateur diver near Karaburun, in İzmir Province, at a depth of only two to three meters. The discovery was made in April, and the coin was later…
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Workers Split Up a Byzantine Gold Hoard. Only 150 Coins Were Saved
A hoard discovered during construction work in northwestern Bulgaria may originally have contained as many as 600 Byzantine gold coins. Instead of being reported to archaeologists, however, the find was concealed and divided among the workers who uncovered it. Only 150 coins remained together. They were recovered by Bulgarian authorities as part of a collection…
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Lost Castle from a Battle That Changed Anatolia May Have Been Found
In September 1176, a large Byzantine army advanced into Anatolia with siege engines, supply wagons and ambitions of restoring imperial control over the region. Along its route, the soldiers passed the lost castle now associated with Myriokephalon before entering a confined valley where Seljuk forces launched an attack that changed the balance of power in…
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A 700-Year-Old Gold Ring from Bulgaria Carried a Byzantine Woman’s Name and Authority
A 14th-century Byzantine gold seal ring associated with southern Bulgaria preserves more than the name of an aristocratic woman. Inscribed for “sevasta Maria Skulena,” the ring was designed to authenticate documents in her name—an unusual glimpse of a woman exercising social or legal authority in the late Byzantine world. The gold ring reportedly originated near…
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Byzantine Ballista Bolts Unearthed at Manzikert Reveal the Siege Before Anatolia’s Turning Point
More than nine centuries after the armies of Byzantium and the Seljuks confronted one another near Manzikert, archaeologists have uncovered evidence from the tense days that preceded the battle. Four iron ballista bolt heads have been found at Taşbaşı, a strategic area about 500 metres southeast of the inner fortress of Malazgirt in eastern Türkiye.…
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Medieval Graves in Malazgirt May Hold Clues to the Aftermath of the 1071 Seljuk-Byzantine Battle
The 1071 Battle of Malazgirt was fought between the Seljuk army of Sultan Alp Arslan and the Byzantine forces of Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes for control of eastern Anatolia. The Seljuk victory did not transform the region overnight, but it weakened Byzantine authority in the east and became one of the defining turning points in…
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Ayasuluk Hill: Sacred Heart of Anatolia and the Final Resting Place of St. John the Theologian
Rising gently over the town of Selçuk in western Turkey, Ayasuluk Hill is not just an archaeological treasure, but a spiritual landmark that bridges ancient civilizations and early Christianity. Once known as Apasas during the Arzawa-Mira Kingdom and later as Ephesos, this historic hill is where St. John the Theologian—beloved disciple of Jesus and author…