°®Âþµº

A 4,500-year-old jar was unearthed in southern , according to local reports on Sunday. 

was found along with numerous pots and food fossils at one of the region's oldest settlements, Yumuktepe Hoyuk, near the coastal city of Mersin. 

The artefact was discovered by a team of 25 lead by Isabella Caneva, an archaeology professor at University of Lecce. 

She believes it belongs to the Middle Bronze Age. 

"We think that this is a place where public or ceremonial meals are held or food is distributed to the public," said Caneva to Anadolu Agency. 

Caneva explained that a number of pots and bowls have been found at the site. 

"These bowls are all the same, mass-produced. There were around 700 bowls in this building. This is a big place for a standard family or restaurant," Caneva said.

Mersin'deki 9 bin yıllık Yumuktepe Höyüğü'ndeki arkeolojik kazılarda 4 bin 500 yıllık küpün yer aldığı yapı bulundu.

— Haber Strateji (@haber_strateji)

The Yumukepte settlement has been dated back to 7,000 BC with traces of the Neolithic, Bronze, Iron Age and Roman era.

The site was discovered in the 1930s by archaeologist John Grastang, founder of the British Institute of Archeology at Ankara. 

Among the many treasures uncovered, such as arrowheads and pots, an ancient seal dating back some 9,000 years was found there in 2018 

Caneva told Anadolu Agency that important findings about the life, economy and society of ancient civilisations are discovered during excavations at the settlement every season.