On the walls of the Sinop Castle, a bullhead motif that is estimated to be 2,500 years old has been found. According to the archeologists, the motif symbolizes power.
Within the framework of the City Square Project, which was initiated to unearth the artifacts of Sinop, northern Turkey, to shed light on the historical richness of the city, were unveiled after the buildings in front of the castle walls of thousands of years were removed.
The figures are believed to belong to the Sinop-born ruler King Mithridatis VI between 120 B.C.-63 B.C. They are placed at the entrances of the kingdom buildings and various temples to remind the importance given to the bull before the coming of Christianity.
“These carvings are not in their original place, they were moved here later. They were taken from the temples, ancient palaces, entrances, and roofs of buildings in Sinop. The ox and the bull are the animals used by the soothsayers in ancient times. Therefore, they are a symbol of power and authority," Sinop History and Culture Research Association board member Cemalettin Kaya said.
Saying that the construction of the figures dates back to a minimum of 2,500 years, “there are many works like this on the castle walls. They probably painted on the stone for the memory of the sacrifice ceremony that was used during a ritual," he added.
Kaya stated that the first written source about Sinop archeology is Strabon's inscriptions. The Greek historian and philosopher, born in Amasya, mentioned the Sinop Castle walls as the most beautiful walls in the world.
