By Mesut Varol
VAN, Turkey (AA) – An ancient human footprint belong to a civilization some 3,000 years ago has been uncovered at a castle in southeastern Turkey.
The footprint belongs to the Urartu, an Iron Age civilization that reigned in eastern Anatolia in the mid-9th century BC for some 250 years.
The footprint, measuring some 26 centimeters long and fitting a modern shoe size 36, was found at Van Castle and belonged to a noble, Erkan Konyar, an ancient history professor at Istanbul University History, told Anadolu Agency.
The area around Van is noted for Urartu ruins.
For the first time, the excavations — ongoing since 2015 — have found a mark made by a human in the region, Konyar said.
Van, which was the capital of the Urartian kingdom in the 9th century BC, has often been called “the Pearl of the East ” because of the beauty of its surrounding landscape.
It is located on the eastern shore of Lake Van, the largest lake in Turkey, and is also home to Van Castle.
