He said they had found a 3,250-year-old seal during the latest excavation, adding that the item is one of the most important discoveries of this year, helping us understand "what happened during the period after the region came under the Hittite control" as well as "define its administrative and political dynamics."
Akar further noted that the findings provide information about the administrative and archival practices in the Alalakh ancient city, the capital of the Mukish Kingdom in the Middle and Late Bronze Age.
"The written documents we found are extremely exciting," he said.
The impressions on the cylinder seals show the existence of a ruling class in the region, Akar said, adding: "This last one, with Luwian hieroglyphic inscription on it, gives us the name of a Hittite prince whose name is not included in other written documents in Alalakh and appears for the first time."
He did not reveal the name of the Hittite prince, but said a Hittitology academic at Istanbul University Faculty of Letters, Hasan Peker, will share the name of the prince with the scientific community once the research is completed.
