SHOTLIST: MALATYA, TÜRKİYE (SEPT. 13, 2025) (ANADOLU - ACCESS ALL) 1. VARIOUS OF DRONE SHOTS OF ARSLANTEPE MOUND 2. VARIOUS OF DRONE SHOTS OF EXCAVATION WORK AT ARSLANTEPE MOUND 3. VARIOUS OF EXCAVATION WORK AT ARSLANTEPE MOUND 4. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) HEAD OF EXCAVATION TEAM, FRANCESCA BALOSSI RESTELLI SAYING: “We excavated layers dating back to before 4700 BC, which means we found remains and architecture from about 7,000 years ago. This already gives us some knowledge of those layers, but it also shows we need to work more and can learn much more. On the surface we are also finding pottery and small objects, which indicate there was a Late Neolithic presence here. That is the Halaf period. We can say with certainty that the site goes back to 6000 BC, and perhaps even earlier.” 5. DRONE SHOT OF EXCAVATION WORK 6. ARCHAEOLOGISTS WORKING AT EXCAVATION SITE (TWO SHOTS) 7. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) HEAD OF EXCAVATION TEAM, FRANCESCA BALOSSI RESTELLI SAYING: “These ceramics belong to the Halaf period. At that time there was a very strong connection with northern Mesopotamia. We already know Halaf pottery from northern Iraq and northern Syria, and finding it here in Anatolia is very important. These findings reveal the wide and strong cultural links of the Late Neolithic period. It is also culturally important because people lived complex lives in that era.” 8. ARCHAEOLOGISTS WORKING AT EXCAVATION SITE 9. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) HEAD OF EXCAVATION TEAM, FRANCESCA BALOSSI RESTELLI SAYING: “In the Malatya region, we do not know of any other mound from the Halaf period, and we have not excavated one so far.” 10. ARCHAEOLOGISTS WORKING AT EXCAVATION SITE 11. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) HEAD OF EXCAVATION TEAM, FRANCESCA BALOSSI RESTELLI SAYING: “Right now, in this excavation, we are uncovering the oldest layers of Arslantepe. The last layer we reached dated back to 4700 BC, where we found Ubaid culture pottery. As we dig deeper, we hope to reach the Halaf period.” 12. ARCHAEOLOGIST RESTORING POTTERY PIECES 13. (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) HEAD OF EXCAVATION TEAM, FRANCESCA BALOSSI RESTELLI SAYING: “We can understand what life was like on the mound about 8,000 years ago.” 14. VARIOUS OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS RESTORING RECOVERED POTTERY FRAGMENTS 15. DRONE SHOT OF ARSLANTEPE MOUNDMALATYA, TÜRKİYE - SEPT. 13: Archaeologists working at at Arslantepe Mound -- a UNESCO World Heritage site in eastern Türkiye's Malatya province -- have found 8,000-year-old pottery fragments. Prof. Francesca Balossi Restelli, head of the Italian-Turkish excavation team, told Anadolu that surface digs this season revealed pottery belonging to the Halaf period, pointing to traces of the Late Neolithic era in the region. The Arslantepe Mound, located 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) southwest of the Euphrates River, has been home to humanity for thousands of years thanks to its high agricultural potential, wetlands and structure protected from the river's floods. Excavation work at the site has continued for nearly three decades. “We have excavated layers dating back to 4700 BC, which means we already know something about life 7,000 years ago. But on the surface we are now finding pottery and small objects showing there was also a Late Neolithic presence. We can say with certainty that the site goes back to around 6000 BC, and perhaps even earlier,” said the Italian archaeologist. She emphasized that Halaf pottery was strongly linked to cultural networks in northern Mesopotamia. “We know this type of pottery from northern Iraq and northern Syria, and finding it here in Anatolia is very important. It reveals wide and strong cultural connections during the Late Neolithic period.” “We found Ubaid pottery at the 4700 BC layer, and I am sure we will find Halaf layers as we dig deeper,” she added. The Arslantepe Mound was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2021. The mound’s embankment is 30 meters (98 feet) high, and it was inhabited between 5000 B.C. and the 11th century AD. More than 2,000 stamp seals, a statue of King Tarhunza, and two lion statues from the late Hittite period have been found at the site. The temple at Arslantepe dates back to 3600-3500 BC.