Archeologists unearth 1,600-year-old weaving workshop in southeastern Turkey

ADIYAMAN, Turkey

Archeologists have discovered a 1,600-year-old weaving workshop along with weight stones used to turn wool into rope during excavation work in Perrhe, an ancient city in the kingdom of Commagene, the remains of which are located in the Turkish city of Adiyaman.

Digging at the ancient site has been ongoing since the early 2000s, and a variety of items have been unearthed this year alone, including a historical Roman fountain, various architectural structures and several aqueducts.

Adiyaman Museum Director Mehmet Alkan said excavation work slowed with the arrival of winter.

"In the excavations we’ve been carrying out in a field of some 1,000 square meters, we’ve identified residential architecture and buildings of civil architecture. Based on these structures, we think that the earthquakes that occurred from the sixth to seventh centuries damaged the residential architecture of Perrhe," Alkan said.

He further noted that the findings indicated that there was small-scale grain production in the area and related items such as cisterns and crushing vessels as well as Pompeiian-type millstones were found.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas