Eberhard Zangger, president of the Switzerland-based Luwian Studies Foundation, said the number, scale and preservation of archaeological sites in Türkiye continues to astonish him, calling the country "a true paradise for archaeology.”

Zangger responded in writing to questions from Anadolu Agency regarding the foundation’s new report, "A 4,200-Year-Old Silver Cup Reveals the World’s Oldest Image of the Universe,” as well as the broader importance of Türkiye and Anatolia in archaeological research.

Ancient cosmological traditions

Humanity has developed many myths and beliefs about the creation of the universe, Zangger said. Even the earliest written sources – Sumerian cuneiform tablets from around 2600 B.C. – describe how gods separated the heavens and the earth and established cosmic order, he noted.

The foundation’s latest report focuses on a small silver cup discovered at Ein Samiya in the Palestinian territories. Zangger said the vessel, dating to the 23rd century B.C., is considered the world’s oldest known silver chalice.

"This discovery is important because, for the first time, it allows us to link various artifacts – previously seen as isolated and mysterious – into a coherent picture,” he said. "We can now trace how motifs expressing humanity’s efforts to understand the origins of the world were transmitted across vast regions for centuries, shaping cultural traditions from Mesopotamia to Southeastern Europe.”

Possible links to Göbeklitepe

The report also references theories that some symbols on the cup may trace their origins back to Göbeklitepe – roughly 11,600 years old. Zangger cautioned that this connection remains unproven.

"To be clear, we do not yet know,” he said. "Even for us as scientists, it is surprising to see certain iconographic elements on a 4,200-year-old cup also appear at Göbeklitepe, which is far older. One of archaeology’s major tasks is to bridge the enormous chronological gap between the Pre-Pottery Neolithic period of Göbeklitepe and the Bronze Age of Troy with new discoveries and better contextual understanding.”

Zangger noted that while sites such as Çatalhöyük and Hacılar are well known, current evidence is still insufficient to fully trace the uninterrupted transmission of ideas from early Neolithic settlements in southeastern Anatolia.

Tracing symbolic exchange

The report highlights the Lidar Höyük prism, discovered near Şanlıurfa and published for the first time in the study. Zangger said the artifact provides a critical missing link in their research into the movement of symbols and ideas from Mesopotamia to Southeastern Anatolia and the Levant.

He emphasized that Anatolia is extraordinarily rich in Neolithic settlements – the birthplace of early agriculture, animal husbandry and village life.

A similar pattern emerges in celestial symbolism, he added.

"Archaeoastronomy has been studied for decades in many parts of the world, yet Anatolia long remained a blank space on the map,” Zangger said. "Our research over the past 10 years shows that this region served as both a geographical and chronological bridge, transmitting iconographic and religious ideas from Sumerian Mesopotamia to classical Greece. We are only at the beginning of uncovering Anatolia’s true role in the history of thought.”

'Paradise for archaeology'

Zangger, who has conducted archaeological research across Eastern Mediterranean countries for nearly 20 years, said he later visited Turkish sites on his own initiative.

"The number, size and state of preservation of archaeological sites in Türkiye deeply impressed me – and still do,” he said. "Türkiye is truly a paradise for archaeology. This applies not only to well-known Greek and Roman settlements but also to the Indigenous cultures of the Bronze Age. The potential for discovery here is immense.”

He said his team is currently focusing on projects that can yield meaningful results with relatively modest resources, though much more remains to be uncovered.

Despite the region’s richness, Zangger said scholars still know surprisingly little about the early Indigenous cultures of Anatolia, which continue to appear as "a kind of blank space” on prehistoric maps.

He added that textbooks often emphasize the Hittite and Mycenaean civilizations of the Late Bronze Age, but that narrow focus "leaves many of the big questions of Mediterranean archaeology unanswered.”