The oldest fig seeds ever found in Anatolia, dating back 5,000 years, have been unearthed in the Yassıtepe Mound in the Bornova district of İzmir, where excavations have been continuing.
Head of the excavations, Associated Professor Zafer Derin said, “Finding such a fig sample in Yassıtepe is important for İzmir, which is a city known for its trade with figs and grapes. Yassıtepe presented us with these important findings.”
Many remains such as sea bream, sea urchin, oysters and mussels from thousands of years that have been found in the 8,500-year-old city reveal that the first İzmir residents consumed seafood, especially mussels, like today’s city residents.
During the excavations carried out in Yassıtepe Mound, the first fig seeds of Anatolia dating back 5,000 years were found.
“Yassıtepe Mound is the first urban settlement area of İzmir. We found fig seeds there for the first time in the ruins of houses dating back 5,000 years ago. It is an important find because Anatolia is the homeland of figs. Figs have been produced here for thousands of years just like in other areas. We can say that these fig seeds are the oldest samples found so far. Only in Lebanon, there are fossilized fig seeds from an earlier period,” Derin said.
Stating that figs are the oldest and largest export product of Anatolia, Derin said, “Fig is an important export product of Türkiye. We export almost a quarter of the world’s exports from Anatolia. Therefore, it is important for İzmir that such a sample were found there. İzmir is a city known for its trade with figs and grapes. Yassıtepe presented us with these important findings. Fig seeds were discovered by archaeo-botanist Özgür Çizer, who was part of the scientific committee of the archaeological excavations. It is also being prepared for publication by him.”
