Archaeologists discovered a 2,250-year-old saw during excavations at the ancient Hittite city of Hattusha in Türkiye’s central Çorum province.
Excavations have been conducted in Hattusha, located in the Boğazkale district, since 1906 and unearthed countless ancient artifacts, including a tablet with mystery language cues.
Professor Andreas Schachner, who leads the excavations, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the iron of the saw was thicker than contemporary saws, but otherwise, it is very similar to the ones used today.
“This shows us that humans do not simply modify working tools,” he said.
The ancient tool is 20 centimeters long and was found in the northwestern side of the city.
Professor Shachner noted that the discovery is a rare one and marks the first of its kind in Anatolia in the 3rd century B.C.
Hattusha serves as an open-air museum with 6-kilometer- (nearly 4 mile) long city walls, monumental city gates, a 71-meter- (78 yard) long underground passage, the Hittites palace in Büyükkale, 31 unearthed temples and ancient wheat silos. It was added to the World Heritage List of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1986 due to its well-protected architectural structures and excavation site. It also has also held UNESCO’s title of "Memory of the World" since 2001 with its cuneiform scripts representing the oldest known form of Indo-European languages.
