Two types of wheat that are 9,000 years old have been discovered at Yumuktepe Mound.

The first archaeological excavations began in 1937, and the mound in the Toroslar district, which is also known as the "Cradle of Civilizations" due to the traces of numerous civilizations it carries, contains remnants of many layers dating from the Neolithic Period to the Middle Ages. Archaeobotanical research at Yumuktepe Mound, which dates back to the 7th millennium BC and carries traces of many civilizations, is being conducted under the leadership of Assoc. Prof. Dr. Burhan Ulaş from İnönü University Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Department of Archaeology. In the investigations involving a team of 10 people at the mound, wheat seeds were found. The wheat, which was excavated and subjected to "ancient DNA" analysis, was determined to belong to the varieties "Triticum timopheevii" (a new type of spa wheat) and "Triticum spelta" (the most primitive type of bread wheat), both of which have a history of 9,000 years. This year, excavation and restoration works at the mound, which has been included in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's "Heritage for the Future" Project, are also ongoing simultaneously.

"WE BELIEVE YUMUKTEPE PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN THE SPREAD OF NEOLITHIC AGRICULTURE"

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Burhan Ulaş, who also serves as the excavation coordinator, stated that archaeobotanical research has been conducted at the mound since 2000. Ulaş explained that they have mostly reached carbonized plant remains in the excavation areas of the mound, saying, "We analyze these remains in the laboratory. We are conducting these studies on the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Byzantine periods at Yumuktepe Mound." Ulaş noted that the mound is being meticulously examined, and he stated: "The data we have obtained, especially regarding the Neolithic Period, is interesting. The recent studies we conducted are significant in terms of the two wheat species. We identified a wheat type that we call 'new type spa.' The earliest identified location of this wheat dates back to approximately 8,500 BC at the Cafer Mound settlement. Later, it is found in Aşıklı Mound and Boncuklu Mound in Central Anatolia. We identified it at Yumuktepe. The wheat type we refer to as 'Triticum spelta' is also one of the oldest settlements identified in the literature so far. The characteristic of these two wheat species is that they are the types preferred by Neolithic farmers in Europe rather than the Near East. With the current findings, we believe that Yumuktepe played a key role in the spread of Neolithic agriculture from the Eastern Mediterranean to Europe via both sea and land routes through the Balkans."

NEW DATA EMERGED FOR "TRITICUM SPELTA"

Ulaş emphasized that the new findings are very important in terms of historical evaluation. Highlighting that the "Triticum timopheevii" species is on the verge of extinction, Ulaş noted: "It is only cultivated in a narrow region in Georgia. The situation is the same for Triticum spelta. Since these are carbonized seeds, they are not used in modern agriculture. They are considered dead. It was previously thought that Triticum spelta was cultivated during the Bronze Age; however, our study revealed that this species was cultivated approximately 3,000-4,000 years before the Bronze Age. This is very important information that changes what we know about the origins and spread of Neolithic agriculture."